Tips for Saving Money While Living in China


Living in China-Teacher Record

 

China has a vast land and abundant resources, and you will find various of interesting things to do at any time. In other words, you may spend your salary very soon!

In fact, the cost of living in China is lower than in many other places around the world.

Now, I will show you the cost of living for foreigners (or expats) in China. Of course, the most important thing is how to save money in China.

 

SLOW IT DOWN

 When the plane lands in a brand-new country, we are always full of enthusiasm and energy. It seems that we cannot wait to start a new adventure to explore this strange and attractive land.

One fact you have to be aware of is that if you plan to live in China for a long time instead of enjoying your short vocation here, living like the first week of arrival is obviously not working, you will soon find out there are economic problems.

An advice for you is: write down the famous attractions you want to go to, the dishes you want to eat, and then complete it step by step. Slow down, and you will find the life in China is more enjoyable than you imaged before

BECOME LOCAL

Living like a local, such as buying fresh food in the local market and having an affordable lunch in a local Chinese restaurant is an effective way to help you save money. Tourist attractions usually cost you lots of money, but choosing local entertainment (karaoke, bars, etc.) is able to make you spend less, but enjoy the same happiness. So why not pick the latter one?

A typical example is, foreigners seem to be inseparable from coffee, but if you make tea in a thermos cup and carry it with you will save you a considerable amount of money since coffee is more expensive than tea in China.

Cost of living in China-Teacher Record

 LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS

Rent will be the largest part of your living expenses in China which means that reducing the cost of renting a house will give you more money at your disposal.

If you choose to rent a nice apartment in the city center by yourself, you will find it difficult to save money with other living expenses since the rents may cost you 60% of the salary. However, if you find some roommates to share with you, the situation is quite different. Not only can they bear the expensive rent and other expenses (like electricity/water/gas fees) with you, but you are also able to share the joy of life with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Having fun with some interesting people while saving money for yourself, why not? 

CREATE A BUDGET (BUT NOT ON DAY ONE)

In the first few weeks of your arrival in China, you will find that everything is tricky. Pay for your accommodation, go to the supermarket to buy household utensils and stock up on food will cost you a lot. In most cases, you will get paid after one month of working (Some companies will pay you for one month in advance to help you settle in a new city). But when you start to have a normal life in China, you ought to think about how to allocate your salary. An effective way is recording your consumption list, and learning all your living expenses in detail which will make you better save money since you understand what cost you most.

Except for  saving money,  you may look for other ways to make extra money like teaching English online

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