Where do the numbers come from?
Rents, wages, and everyday costs come from public sources such as Numbeo and Livingcost.org, cross-checked against local listings and official statistics. Each article lists its own sources at the foot of the page, and the Data & method page explains how each category is treated.
How current are the figures?
Figures are read at a point in time and labeled with the year. Chinese figures are converted at roughly ¥7.2 = $1, read in mid-2026. Cost-of-living data ages, so before a real decision you should check the current number at its source.
Why is "cheap" not the same as "affordable"?
A low price only means something next to the income that has to cover it. A city can have the lowest rents this site has gathered and still be hard to live in, if local wages are lower still. Every guide reads price against the local take-home wage for exactly this reason.
How are the two cities in a comparison chosen?
By structural similarity, not nationality — two cities that solve the same problem or fail the same way. Both sides use the same definitions (after-tax median wage, city-center one-bedroom) so the comparison actually holds.
Has the author lived in every city covered?
No. Some guides are written from inside a city, some from a visit, and some entirely from research. Each one states its vantage point, and a city researched honestly from a distance is labeled as such — never dressed up as first-hand.
What's in the Study section?
University cost of living, organized by city rather than by school, so you can compare what different universities in the same place actually cost to attend. It uses the same sourcing standards as the city guides.
What's in the Systems section?
How daily life actually runs underneath the cost figures — high-speed rail, renting an apartment, mobile payments, getting connected, and the rest of the infrastructure a rent or grocery number quietly assumes you already have access to. Sourced from official disclosures and public data first, with my own firsthand use disclosed openly where it exists.
How do the calculators work?
The should-you-move calculator and the university cost calculator both run the same verified rent, wage, and tuition figures already published in the site's own articles through your own numbers — neither is a separate estimate. Where a city's local wage data isn't solid enough to trust, that city is left out of the relevant calculation rather than filled in with a guess.
Is any of this AI-generated?
I write in Chinese and use AI tools to help with English grammar, structure, and formatting. AI does not choose what to write about, does not evaluate cost structures, and does not invent personal experiences. The framework, the questions, and the analysis are mine.
Can I use this to decide whether to move?
Use it to think, not to conclude. This site is one person's notes built from public data and personal observation — not relocation, financial, tax, or immigration advice. The final call belongs to the person who has to live there.
I think a number is wrong. What do I do?
Tell me — corrections are genuinely welcome, especially from residents. You can reach me on the contact page.