Living Expenses in Chengdu?

[JerryS]

Hi,

I am seriously considering teaching english in Chengdu, but need to calculate the living expenses on an ESL’s salary. Can someone give me a gist on your everyday expenses? And as for a place to live, where would be the ‘best’ in your opinion. Also, how far are the daoist mountains from Chengdu?

Thank you,

J

[Charlie]

Hey Jerry,

I’ve been recording my living expenses for a few weeks now, to eventually publish a post on this topic. It really depends on your lifestyle, but I’m averaging about 4,000 yuan a month in living expenses, plus rent. I eat a lot of imported food and cook at home a few times a week, and then eat at chinese restaurants the rest of the time. For me, my greatest expense is food. I’d say if you’re making 8,000+ a month you’re living very comfortably in Chengdu, and personally I save a lot of money each month.

As for place to live, my vote is definitely for the South of Chengdu. Either on the East (Kehua Beilu) or West (Yulin) side, they both have their advantages.

The daoist mountains are all a few hours outside of Chengdu (Qing Cheng Shan, Emei Shan, Si Guniang Shan, etc).

[JerryS]

Thanx for the reply! I doubt ESL teachers makes allot of money in that area. I am roughly looking at 6500 per month, but if my expenses were to be as high as yours, money wont be well saved heh. And yess, food is also a down fall for me.. I just love to eat! Wish there was a ‘foodaholic anonymous,’ but meh, the joys of eating allot os workg it off!

Hope you make a detailed post soo, would love to read it!

[zkoch]

Hi JerryS,

I think you could get along fine for ¥6,500. A decent studio or small 1 bedroom will run you around ¥1,500, maybe a bit more depending on how ‘western’ it is. It really all depends on where and how you live. I probably spend around ¥3,000 a month and that includes fees for Chinese lessons and some other things. I’m the worst cook in the world, so I eat out a lot, but eating out is really cheap. If you drink a lot, expect that to have an impact on spending as well. 🙂

[Author]

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