What People Earn in China: Real Salaries From Videos

Wages people stated themselves, by job: delivery riders, fishing crews, office workers, freelancers. It draws on 22 videos and 36 individual figures, covering Chongqing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Hong Kong, Huizhou, Pengzhou.

At a glance

delivery order earnings 70 cents China
daily wage $20 per day Hong Kong
daily earnings from selling produce 100 200 yuan per day China
daily wage for 10 hours of sewing work 100 yuan China

Income & wages

Item Amount Place Source video
delivery order earnings 70 cents — A Food Delivery Rider's 12-Hour Day in a Small Chinese Ci…
household income growth rate 4.6% year over a year — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift
income growth 8% — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift
pay cut 10% pay cut — Why Ordinary Chinese People Are Turning to YouTube
daily wage $20 per day Hong Kong Inside Hong Kong's Coffin Homes and Cage Apartments
daily earnings from selling produce 100 200 yuan per day — Rural China Train: Farmers Selling Vegetables in Hunan an…
daily wage for 10 hours of sewing work 100 yuan — What 100 Yuan Buys in a Rural Chinese Village Supermarket
fishing boat crew member daily wage $150 a day Shandong A Day in a Small Chinese City: Work, Kids, and Fishing Bo…
monthly savings $200 to $300 Pengzhou Inside a $30 a Month Rental Room in Pengzhou, China
sewing or simple workshop task monthly pay 280 to 420 US dollars — A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
garment sewing monthly income in USD 420 US dollar per month — A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
clothing store manager monthly salary $490 to $830 — Daily Life in a Northern Chinese Third-Tier City
metal work, mold making, or machine-related roles monthly pay 560 to 700 US dollars — A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
restaurant manager monthly salary $590 to $1,000 — Daily Life in a Northern Chinese Third-Tier City
monthly salary $600 Pengzhou Inside a $30 a Month Rental Room in Pengzhou, China
monthly take-home salary $947 monthly Shenzhen Inside a 13m Rented Apartment in Shenzhen, China
monthly salary less than $1,000 a month Shenzhen Living Alone in Shenzhen: Daily Habits That Save Money
head chef monthly salary starting from $1,100 — Daily Life in a Northern Chinese Third-Tier City
average annual income per person about 1,600 UN Shibaong village Hidden Villages in China: Remote Communities and Their Tr…
average monthly income 2,000 to 3,000 RMB — A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
garment sewing monthly income 3,000 RMB — A Work Day in a Small Chinese Town on 2,000 RMB a Month
monthly base pay as marketing manager $3,500 a month Shenzhen Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly retirement pension in Hefei around 4,000 yuan Hefei Retiree Life in Beihai: What It Costs to Live in China
monthly salary 4,000 yuan Chongqing Inside a Chongqing Urban Village: Daily Life and 300 Yuan…
monthly teaching salary around 4,000 American dollars a month Shenzhen Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
monthly total income with social media over $4,500 a month Shenzhen Shenzhen Cost of Living: An American Family's Budget
restaurant server monthly salary around 4500 RMB — Daily Life in a Northern Chinese Third-Tier City
freelance video editor monthly income about 4,500 yuan Huizhou Daily Life in Huizhou, China on a Low Income at 40
monthly salary 5,000 to 8,000 Shenzhen Chinese YouTuber Fact-Checks Viral Videos About Life in C…
monthly salary 5,000 yen — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift
typical monthly wage around 5,000 a month — What It Really Costs to Live in China: A Day of Spending
monthly retirement pension in Hangzhou 6,000 yuan Hangzhou Retiree Life in Beihai: What It Costs to Live in China
monthly salary after tax 6500Rmb($900) after tax Shenzhen A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
long-haul truck driver monthly earnings 8,000 yuan — Rural China at 50: Free Carrots and a One-Day Road Trip
typical salary in village around ¥10K(around $1454) — A Day in the Life of a Chinese Office Worker in Shenzhen
average monthly wage around 10,000 yen a month — What It Really Costs to Live in China: A Day of Spending
average per capita disposable income around 43,000 UN nationally — What Everyday Life in China Is Really Like, City and Vill…
middle income group annual income range 100,000 to 500,000 Yen — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift
annual household income more than 300,000 Yen — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift
average salary for a lawyer 300,000 to 600,000 — China's Middle Class Cuts Spending: Inside a Savings Shift

Data sources

Every figure on this page was stated in one of the following videos. Follow a link to hear it in context.