35-year-old American relocated to China, spends $568/month

In 2019, after her thirtieth birthday, Alese Lightyear left a career within the manufacturing of actuality TV behind the English language instructing as a second language in China.

At the moment, Lightyear earned about $ 100,000 a yr, and works eight months of the yr.

“I used to be experiencing an investigator, which was absorbed. My previous few years have lived and labored in New York Metropolis is likely one of the most fatty years of my life,” says Lightyear CNBC. “I used to be uninterested in working for 70 hours per week for ten years. I used to be in my twenties, I felt as if I used to be a 50 -year -old lady.”

It was a fast search in Google helped Lightyear to decide to depart life as you knew in New York Metropolis, for one thing utterly totally different.

“How can I earn cash and journey around the globe?” I appeared. The end result on the prime of the record was every little thing about instructing English overseas. Then she spoke with a workshop that he taught in South Korea, and started studying as a lot as she might about what it takes for training overseas with none expertise.

For the remainder of that yr, she occupied totally different unusual jobs to finish her earnings. As independently, Lightyear was not any financial savings, advantages or medical health insurance for retirement.

“On paper [it] New York Metropolis appears to be probably the most costly cities on the earth, in order that $ 100,000 has gone in a short time. “I ought to have offered these items. I used to be checking to confirm, which was absorbed. It was the previous few years through which I lived and labored in New York Metropolis is likely one of the most drained years of my life.”

After finishing a 13 -week program for an English language instructing certificates as a international language certificates (TEFL), Lightyear moved to Beijing.

She lived within the Chinese language capital for 4 years, and labored as a instructor, earlier than shifting to Chengdu in 2023, the place she is at the moment instructing English articles writing at a college. Lightyear operates 18 hours per week, 4 days per week and has an annual wage of about $ 30,000.

“30,000 {dollars} per yr is poverty in America, however in China, I dwell nice,” she says.

Some advantages and privileges for the Lightyear perform embrace free medical health insurance, journey wage, flight allowance, two months of summer season and winter go away, and rental wage.

Lightyear has taken a wage discount when she left her instructional perform in Beijing, however she doesn’t remorse it as a result of life within the Chinese language capital has begun to resemble her time in New York Metropolis.

“I did not transfer alongside the world to work as a lot as I did in New York,” she says. “A steadiness between work and the present life is a dream. I’m able to do many various hobbies, to take time to really be taught the language and do every little thing I need once I need, and that is superb. I really feel very fortunate and glad to have the ability to get quite a lot of time for myself.”

In Chengdu, Lightyear lives in an condominium of three bedrooms, one toilet with a balcony and a laundry room. Due to the rental wage, Lightyear pays solely $ 278 to its locations of residence.

It additionally spends about $ 15 a month for the Web, mobile phone, Wi-Fi, $ 75 per thirty days on groceries, $ 50 per thirty days on electrical energy and $ 150 per thirty days when consuming abroad-about $ 568 per thirty days. This doesn’t embrace the water and gasoline invoice, which Lightyear says continues to be pressured to pay for it as a result of the proprietor of the paid actual property is to these amenities earlier than shifting to the condominium.

Lightyear additionally works as a content material creator and has an lively YouTube channel. This extra earnings is allowed to offer as much as $ 1,000 per thirty days.

“I didn’t save sufficient cash to purchase a home in the USA, however I saved sufficient cash to pay quite a lot of college students’ loans and I feel I’ve offered sufficient cash to purchase a bit of casseta on the seaside in Mexico, “she says. “These fingers crossed the plan.”

Lightyear just lately renewed the lease contract and deliberate to remain in Chengdu for at the least one yr or so. After that, 35 -year -old American plans to return to Michigan, the place she’s going to resolve the place of stability after that.

Whereas Lightyear is aware of that she is able to go away China, she doesn’t know if one other nation can transfer to this may give it the identical pleasure.

“I simply assume that China is essentially the most tough nation to dwell and journey as a non -Chinese language particular person, so I do know that something apart from this can be a lot simpler, however I’m afraid to seek out it boring,” she says. “In China, I can problem myself day-after-day and know that in a foreign country, after some time, you allow these challenges.”

References from the Chinese language yuan to the US greenback had been made utilizing the Oanda switch charge of 1 Chinese language yuan 0.14 US {dollars} on July 3, 2025. All quantities are delivered to the earliest greenback.

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