Job Discussion Forums

[miso_ramen]

If you're earning $2,500 a month in Shanghai. How much could you reasonably expect to save if you live modestly but not like a monk? i.e. going out a night or two a week, taking a few trips a year around China etc. I would have to pay my own apartment i.e. one bedroom not too far out of the centre.

Any advice please.

[LarssonCrew]

Let's see, $2,500 is what? 15,000 RMB?

So, your apartment maybe 4,000 all up, rent, internet, electricity, especially in summer/winter with AC/heating.

So you're left with 11,000. Your one night a week or two nights will probably drain another 800 a week, so that's 3,000 say gone.

That leaves about 8,000, if you take taxis, eat some western food, That's another say 5,000 gone.

So you're left with 3,000. Not alot to save for trips.

I don't live there and I might be generalising, but even if $2,500 sounds alot in Shanghai, after apartment you'll probably have 11,000. That's not alot.

I have a friend with a uni job who is paid 5,000 plus a free apartment and teaches 8 hours a week at a uni for that, and gets free apartment and all bills, he can make 180 an hour moonlighting, so even if he does that 10 hoursa week that's another 7,200 in the till, more than you have after your apartment, and he is here in Xi'an....

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

If you live like a miserly local, you could in theory live off of 3000 a month. This means living in a month-to-month rooming house and real basic facilities. I'm guessing LarssonCrew is closer to the truth. Even 12,000 a month is scraping by in Shanghai if you want to actually save anything.

[Lobster]

I agree. At that pay you'll be only able to save 3-4k a month at most.

RED