I get paid less but also spend less.

Expensive habbits are cheaper here. A pack of smokes back home is almost 100rmb a pack... here it costs 7 rmb. Multiply the difference by the number of days in a month... thats a saving

Hasn't this been asked before? Maybe find old topic and resurrect it?

I was actually looking at this. I think our day to day expenses are a wash. A pint is a pint in most countries and a western meal costs about the same everywhere. Your wife could cook veggies and a bit of pork for cheap pretty much anywhere. But there are other costs in western countries that tower over China. In Canada 1500 rmb a month for electricty is the norm. And thats a condo! Double it for a house of any size. Car insurance is triple or quadruple. The extra taxes take a toll. Even if you take a bus or a subway you need to pay minimum 10 rmb for a short single journey rather than 2 here.

These are jusy daily costs that people accept and deal with back home because thats just the way it is. Its no wonder you are doing good if you can save even 10% at the end of the month.

So yes, costs are rising here but dont forget, your hometown isnt a time capsule. Costs are rising there too.

In China, I could save 70% of my income (after taxes). In France, with the same income (after taxes, which are much higher in France), I save 15% to 20% of it. It makes my wife angry. I speak of social safety nets, and she get angrier.

How many times has this question been asked? You can't figure it out?

I still remember seeing eggplants for $8 and lettuces for $5 at the supermarket back home. When I tell a local that an eggplant might cost me 40 yuan they gasp in horror. I live in a small county-level city. 40 yuan can buy you enough food at the market to make a dinner for 6 people and you'd still be left with some change. 

My power bill back home would be 1500 RMB easily. Here it's never more than 200.

Saving money is easy in China.

the Canadian dollar has decreased in value by over 20% (compared to RMB) in the past year and I am still a lot better off here than I would be at home...  I get paid in Canadian $$$$'s/ pennies. not much savings now, oh for the good old days.

wife just went out in a new outfit,  for "TEA" ....  I did not mention that it should be ironed..  so much for fancy new clothes that would never have been purchased without the almighty dollar ... little things.

To those saying that this question gets asked a lot. I know that.

But we don't live in a vacuum/stasis time bubble. A lot of things have happened this year to drastically change the economy, the salaries of expats and ESL teachers.

Stock market crashing, introduction of oral English as part of the official gaokao scores (increase demand for ESL), tons of companies leaving China (yes, EVEN FOXXCON)is planning to leave).

Lots of real estate companies are becoming incredibly desperate and people who bought them in the past to rent them out are lowering rental costs to find tenants.

Since all this affects the Chinese economy, I was wondering how it affected foreigners and in contrast to before, their ability to save money and live comfortably in China.

Makes sense?

Hell yeah! I can save like 70% of my income no problem! And my quality of life here is better as well. I try to spend a 100 RMB a day and any money that gets left over I save it for clothing and so forth

i save 100% of my salary... we live of my wifes salary. contrary i cannot spend my money usefull. Nohthing fun or worth to buy in china

I make an American salary and live in a country where a third of the people live on one dollar per day so...

Only thanks to my wife, I can save some money.

Definitely easier to save in China, with an expat or teacher's salary and a Chinese partner to ward off the hyena's.

As for the difference, i think it's not as great as you might assume. You need to consider things in a yearly or even lifetime basis, because we also save for holiday bonuses and pensions that we don't see in our monthly paycheck. And healthcare differs greatly per country, but on the whole it is better to have competent doctors within reach and covered by insurance.

China remains the better place to save, but as money value continually drops, salaries remain fixed numbers, government cracks down on foreigners, and the genaral public grow increasingly desperate, the situation may change year by year.

I calculated that my salary "back home" would be around 3.5 times what I'm getting here. However, after tax and living expenses I would at best have around 300-500 rmb more per month back home. I still manage to easily save money here in China.

not really, quite true the opposite. Of course if you live like the average chinese (and you do own an apartment) and you dont care the crap you eat everyday, then yes...i guess you going to save some money, but at what cost?

If I lived alone (In England) then no, but if I live alone in China then hell yeah!

I spend no more then 5,000 to 6,000 RMB a month (And that's me living reaaaalll good) so... yeah I can save quite a bit, over half my salary!

Another necro... well, ok.

Let's see - when I first started working in China, I was on 5K in a T300 city in Jiangxi. My fellow FTs would sometimes end up borrowing - or at least scrimping - through the last week. I'd still be rolling in it. But then, I can cook! And I like pork, and vegies. AND, I don't drink much or smoke (which is where most of their money went). I did, however, have a couple of credit cards back home, one of which was maxxed out...

Afterwards - I saved enough to be able to live here with zero income for months! AND no credit card debt!!

And, I live alone, in a large apartment, in a T2 city.

Do the basic math, and it's obvious.... income - tax - rent - food - other expenses. Back home, those first three are the killers!

Old post revived I see... 

But I can certainly answer my own question now that I am back in my home country. 

You can save a lot more in China. You may take some sacrifices but if you live in a generally clean city and cook your own food, then it isn't a bad situation at all. 

Government here pretty much pockets half your earnings in income tax and sales tax alone. Let's say about 50%. Rent would take up another 25-30% for most average earnings... so what are they left with to save? Maybe a few hundred a a month if they never eat out and hate their lives... 

Trust me people, stay in China until your children are old enough to go to elementary school. Then and only then it is worth it... and hopefully you have enough money saved by then. Otherwise you will live in debt and on credit for the rest of your life.