Livability · rank 28/41
Is 🇨🇳 China (Shanghai) a good place to live?
Quality score 66/100 against essentials of $1,006/month. Fast domestic internet — but the Great Firewall reshapes a remote worker's toolkit; VPN dependence is real.
The five metrics
Internet 88 220 Mbps median broadband, 91.6% online
Safety 97 0.5 homicides/100k (2020)
Healthcare 72 78y life expectancy (2024)
Air quality 40 PM2.5 32.1 µg/m³ (2023)
English 35 day-to-day usability
What your budget buys
| Monthly budget | vs essentials ($1,006) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | 2.0× | very comfortable |
| $3,000 | 3.0× | like royalty |
| $5,000 | 5.0× | like royalty |
Essentials from the Pint & Property basket. Rank countries by your own priorities in the interactive matrix.
🪤 Tax residency triggers at 183 days. Tax residency details →
Similar value-for-money
- 🇵🇹 Portugal — quality 84.6, essentials $1,292/mo
- 🇦🇷 Argentina — quality 62.4, essentials $927/mo
- 🇰🇷 South Korea — quality 82, essentials $1,214/mo
- 🇨🇴 Colombia — quality 48.6, essentials $697/mo
See also: everyday prices · retiring in China
Frequently asked questions
- Is China a good place to live for remote workers?
- China scores 66/100 on our equal-weighted livability composite (internet 220 Mbps, safety 97, healthcare 72, air 40, English 35) — rank 28 of 41. Fast domestic internet — but the Great Firewall reshapes a remote worker's toolkit; VPN dependence is real.
- How fast is the internet in China?
- Median fixed broadband is around 220 Mbps. Fast domestic internet — but the Great Firewall reshapes a remote worker's toolkit; VPN dependence is real.
- What does $3,000/month get you in China?
- Single-person essentials run about $1,006/month at local prices, so $3,000 lives "like royalty" (3.0× essentials).