4 ms·

From the comment section of that very video, I quote: > Freda Du: are you guys comparing one of the most expensive chinese cities with the average american (su

by rqs 8y ago

From the comment section of that very video, I quote: > Freda Du: are you guys comparing one of the most expensive chinese cities with the average american (suburban/rural) rent? And comparing fine western dining (cuz apparently you think the $2 chinese meals will kill westerners..) with dollar menu? I lived in Shanghai, LA and NYC, let's make a major city to major city comparison here.. a single metro ride is $0.5 in shanghai vs. $2.75 in NY and $1.75 in LA (which goes nowhere); cellphone bill costs $10 in China and $40+ in the US; you can get food as cheap as $2 in a sit-down restaurant in China, but at least $10+tax&tips in America; have you guys just been living in China for too long and forgot how damn expensive america can be? the small Chinese cities can be dirt cheap too but you guys think it's too inconvenient for people who refuse to speak Chinese. so there you go. For your reference, I'm living in a small city in China, where ￥15 can supply my diet-mode food for a week, for better diet, that's ￥22 ($3.2 dollar) (Just to clarify, If however I don't want to diet, then that's ￥50~80 or $12 a week). That's even when I buy most of my foods from supermarket[0]. The key point is, you CAN live an expensive life in China if you want to, but you don't HAVE to. [0] https://i.imgur.com/X9Gm4Zl.jpg https://i.imgur.com/X9Gm4Zl.jpg

seanmcdirmid 8y ago
China is not expensive. Rent is actually cheap: that place on the market in beijing for $1 million USD will rent for less than $2k/month, for example. Food can be cheap, not as cheap as 22 RMB/week (heck, even in Chenzhou I'm not sure who could do that), but $5/person for a decent meal out and cheaper if cooking in. Cars are super expensive compared to the states, so is gas. Real estate prices are insane, but again rents are much cheaper because most of that run up is imaginary and unsustainable. Education is super expensive if you don't have a hukou (which foreigners will never get). Clean air is impossible to buy.
- rqs 8y ago
  Chenzhou: Population (2001): 4,559,600; GDP (2015): ￥201 billion. For comparison, Our city: Population (2017): 1,700,000; GDP(2017): less than ￥120b. I've searched the price of fast food restaurants in your city, the result: https://t.dianping.com/list/chenzhou-category_189 https://t.dianping.com/list/chenzhou-category_189 Base on that, I can see the average price is ranging from ￥13 to ￥45 ($2~7) per person. So I guess $5 is really pretty decent. However, I have lived in few other cities in China, I know that live in another city other than your hometown is expensive, let alone when that city is in another country. Simply too many extra costs (like Rent and education). Speak of educational cost, > Education is super expensive if you don't have a hukou (which foreigners will never get). It's actually location depended. You may want to talk with local schools or departments see if they can help you with it or at least give you a direction. It likely results a cold shoulder but you won't get warm one if you don't try. Plus, ask them directly is better than complaining online. Also keep in mind, not many Chinese teacher can speak English. So.
  - seanmcdirmid 8y ago
    That population number is for the entire county, the urban city will be much smaller (about 1 million). I’m not sure what you are counting for yours. Note we live in the states these days, just my wife has hukou in Chenzhou.
    - rqs 8y ago
      Then I'm glad you have escaped from all those problems :) BTW: The population is the total number.
mistermann 8y ago
Reality is what it is regardless of your or my opinion, and it seems to be human nature for individuals to have a tendency to want to paint it in one way or another (for example: "cuz apparently you think the $2 Chinese meals will kill westerners" - purely a figment of that person's imagination, regardless of it's accuracy). If you're serious about trying to discern the reality of this situation as accurately as possible, the most useful metric I know of to look at is the affordability ratio, assuming you can find a source with genuinely honest, unmassaged data. To me, the fundamentally important question seems to be: has the ability for the average person to own/rent the average shelter increased, decreased, or stayed constant over time? My opinion on the matter would be the whatever the answer to that question is. I don't happen to know the correct answer but I think a related question, how broadly is wealth distributed throughout the population (completely ignoring the "righteousness" of it), would be helpful in making a good guess at it.
- rqs 8y ago
  Let me guess. Did you just been triggered by the $2 a week diet thing? Then don't be, I'm actually not very proud of it. I did it from time to time for about few weeks so I can quickly lose my belly fat. And I don't like it at all let alone recommending it. > the most useful metric I know of to look at is the affordability ratio Of course. I just searched a bit, the DPI seems to be ￥7,815 or $1,137 for the first quarter. However, I don't have any information other than that, and dig the information needed is too hard for me :(
  - mistermann 8y ago
    > Let me guess. Did you just been triggered by the $2 a week diet thing? Not at all, my point was more referring to the human tendency to take one example and use it as a representation of the norm, according to the internal desires of how one thinks the world is, or "should be". > Then don't be, I'm actually not very proud of it. I can't think of too many countries that could feel more righteously "proud" of themselves than China, considering what they've accomplished in the last 20 years, I don't think anyone comes close to touching this progress in the history of the world. > Of course. I just searched a bit, the DPI seems to be ￥7,815 or $1,137 for the first quarter. I'm not familiar with this term (Dynamic Price Index?), but I can't think of a single number that would be an accurate representation for "China", considering how large of a country it is, with incredibly high variances of wealth and living expenses.

by rqs 8y ago

seanmcdirmid 8y ago

China is not expensive. Rent is actually cheap: that place on the market in beijing for $1 million USD will rent for less than $2k/month, for example. Food can be cheap, not as cheap as 22 RMB/week (heck, even in Chenzhou I'm not sure who could do that), but $5/person for a decent meal out and cheaper if cooking in. Cars are super expensive compared to the states, so is gas. Real estate prices are insane, but again rents are much cheaper because most of that run up is imaginary and unsustainable. Education is super expensive if you don't have a hukou (which foreigners will never get). Clean air is impossible to buy.

rqs 8y ago
Chenzhou: Population (2001): 4,559,600; GDP (2015): ￥201 billion. For comparison, Our city: Population (2017): 1,700,000; GDP(2017): less than ￥120b. I've searched the price of fast food restaurants in your city, the result: https://t.dianping.com/list/chenzhou-category_189 https://t.dianping.com/list/chenzhou-category_189 Base on that, I can see the average price is ranging from ￥13 to ￥45 ($2~7) per person. So I guess $5 is really pretty decent. However, I have lived in few other cities in China, I know that live in another city other than your hometown is expensive, let alone when that city is in another country. Simply too many extra costs (like Rent and education). Speak of educational cost, > Education is super expensive if you don't have a hukou (which foreigners will never get). It's actually location depended. You may want to talk with local schools or departments see if they can help you with it or at least give you a direction. It likely results a cold shoulder but you won't get warm one if you don't try. Plus, ask them directly is better than complaining online. Also keep in mind, not many Chinese teacher can speak English. So.
- seanmcdirmid 8y ago
  That population number is for the entire county, the urban city will be much smaller (about 1 million). I’m not sure what you are counting for yours. Note we live in the states these days, just my wife has hukou in Chenzhou.
  - rqs 8y ago
    Then I'm glad you have escaped from all those problems :) BTW: The population is the total number.

mistermann 8y ago

Reality is what it is regardless of your or my opinion, and it seems to be human nature for individuals to have a tendency to want to paint it in one way or another (for example: "cuz apparently you think the $2 Chinese meals will kill westerners" - purely a figment of that person's imagination, regardless of it's accuracy). If you're serious about trying to discern the reality of this situation as accurately as possible, the most useful metric I know of to look at is the affordability ratio, assuming you can find a source with genuinely honest, unmassaged data. To me, the fundamentally important question seems to be: has the ability for the average person to own/rent the average shelter increased, decreased, or stayed constant over time? My opinion on the matter would be the whatever the answer to that question is. I don't happen to know the correct answer but I think a related question, how broadly is wealth distributed throughout the population (completely ignoring the "righteousness" of it), would be helpful in making a good guess at it.

rqs 8y ago
Let me guess. Did you just been triggered by the $2 a week diet thing? Then don't be, I'm actually not very proud of it. I did it from time to time for about few weeks so I can quickly lose my belly fat. And I don't like it at all let alone recommending it. > the most useful metric I know of to look at is the affordability ratio Of course. I just searched a bit, the DPI seems to be ￥7,815 or $1,137 for the first quarter. However, I don't have any information other than that, and dig the information needed is too hard for me :(
- mistermann 8y ago
  > Let me guess. Did you just been triggered by the $2 a week diet thing? Not at all, my point was more referring to the human tendency to take one example and use it as a representation of the norm, according to the internal desires of how one thinks the world is, or "should be". > Then don't be, I'm actually not very proud of it. I can't think of too many countries that could feel more righteously "proud" of themselves than China, considering what they've accomplished in the last 20 years, I don't think anyone comes close to touching this progress in the history of the world. > Of course. I just searched a bit, the DPI seems to be ￥7,815 or $1,137 for the first quarter. I'm not familiar with this term (Dynamic Price Index?), but I can't think of a single number that would be an accurate representation for "China", considering how large of a country it is, with incredibly high variances of wealth and living expenses.