I Left The U.S. For Shenzhen, China – Here's How Much It Costs

Bradley Craig provides a comprehensive look at his life as an American expat in Shenzhen, China, a city he describes as a fusion of Silicon Valley and New York located in southern China near Hong Kong. Coming from a small 6,000-person town in Colorado, he was initially drawn to China to teach English abroad and ended up staying permanently after meeting his wife from Tahiti during the COVID pandemic. His family now includes two trilingual children who speak French, English, and Mandarin. The cost of living is remarkably affordable - their 3-bedroom apartment costs $1,000/month, monthly transportation is under $50 with subway rides costing 60 cents for adults and free for children, healthcare coverage for him and both kids costs $90/month, and grocery shopping can fill an entire cart for $100. He earns $3,500 as a marketing manager plus additional income from social media, totaling over $4,500 monthly. The city offers advanced conveniences like biometric payments using handprints, delivery robots, driverless taxis, underground mall networks connected to subway stations, and 15-minute delivery services for virtually anything. His children attend school for approximately $300 per semester including meals, and he feels his mental health has improved due to reduced safety concerns compared to America. However, he acknowledges challenges including dangerous scooter traffic, lack of personal space concepts, language barriers, and visa restrictions since China is not an immigration country. Despite these drawbacks, he considers moving to China the best decision of his life and hopes to stay in Shenzhen permanently.