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How much to just get by?

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Mimi

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How much to just get by?
« on: June 22, 2007, 02:06:54 PM »
I'll be arriving to teach September 1st, and won't be getting paid until October 6th.  I don't want to do any major shopping or even much sight-seeing in that month, just get acclimated.  Just spending money on simple food (rice and vegetables mainly), cigarettes, and transportation, how much do you think I'll need to bring?  I've been trying to come up with numbers in my head, but I'm really nervous that I won't save up enough money and I just paid off all my credit cards... :(
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Lone Traveller

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2007, 02:28:26 PM »
Depends on where you're going and what your boss is like.  afafafafaf

I bough $500AUD with me and at the end of a month still had $400 left. However, my boss paid for a lot of stuff for me. Because the school wasn't ready for me to start straight away, they took care of most things for me. I was constantly being taken out for lunch/dinner. They also paid for my transport if I needed to go anywhere.

Of course I didn't know this was going to happen before I arrived. I thought I'd be scraping with only $500 but turns out I had plenty. Baring in mind that I was also in a very small town so I guess others in bigger cities will have different info for you.

Good luck!
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George

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2007, 03:07:55 PM »
Yeah, 500 -1000 should see you comfortable for a month or two. Course that depends on how good and honest your school is about paying you!!
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contemporarydog

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #3 on: June 22, 2007, 03:34:54 PM »
Food is dirt cheap.  If you were just looking at basic food and transport, 100 RMB a day would do you very nicely indeed.  Actually that's more than you would probably need.

Mind you, new arrivals tend to spend a lot more, so double that estimate...
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Eagle

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2007, 04:01:59 PM »
Mimi, it's not at all expensive.  $500 will be more than enough to "enjoy" your first month in your new home city.  Lots to see at no expense and some that is relatively cheap in terms of $$$.  Rose Petal and I will be back in ChangZhou in late August.  We will have to get together for a visit, some eats and great discussion.  See you then.
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Lotus Eater

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #5 on: June 22, 2007, 05:06:52 PM »
So much of this depends on what is already provided.  If you need to buy household items - sheets, towels, cutlery/chopsticks, pots/pans, plates, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, brooms, mops etc etc you will end up spending a fair bit.

If the basics are there, and you plan on staying pretty much in walking distance you should be fine on 25-100Y per day.  Here fancy fried rice - big plate (even when they say small), lots of vegetables is 3.5Y, 'hamburgers' (cai/rou jai mo) - 1.5Y, biaozi - really cheap per serving.  So you can eat VERY cheaply - or you can go high-end and pay 100's.

But I would still plan on bringing 2x or 2.5x your monthly Chinese salary with you - you'll be here for 6 weeks without anything and you'll want to call home, use the internet, buy clothes that are right for the season etc etc.
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contemporarydog

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #6 on: June 22, 2007, 06:02:07 PM »
Exactly LE plus it takes a bit of time to work out what's what.  Also it depends on what city.  Wuhan was replete with very cheap places where you could get cracking meals for 30 RMB or less, like this fantastic barbecue-sauce fish they had (it was the one boneless fish dish I've found, and big chunky western-style fish at that).  In Dalian there is a bit less of that.  The restaurants are still dirt cheap by western standards but there are fewer cheap-end ones.
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Pashley

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #7 on: June 22, 2007, 08:20:18 PM »
I found I could live well on 2000 RMB a month, and that was taking taxis everywhere, eating every meal out, generally not worrying about money. However, I was not eating in high-end restaurants or going to fancy bars, or blowing money on fast women and slow horses.

2000 times two months in case pay is late works out to $500 US. A bit extra for setting up your apartment, a bit in reserve, ... I'd say bring $1000 if you can.
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cheekygal

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #8 on: June 22, 2007, 08:31:53 PM »
Bring 1,000 USD. Whatever you have left - will be saved for later. It is always good to have "security" cash!
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Lono Tiki

Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #9 on: June 22, 2007, 08:33:59 PM »
I generally say to bring $1000 (to cover two months) and enough cash to get back home if the poo hits the fan and all else fails.

Plus, the yuan is appreciating in value (albeit slowly), so you might make a few cents off the exchanges.
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contemporarydog

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #10 on: June 22, 2007, 09:18:29 PM »
Yeah but that's no good for me as I'm paid in CDN  which is then converted :(

On the other hand, appreciation of the yuan would be good for our savings, for the instance of returning to blighty  agagagagag
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contemporarydog

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #11 on: June 22, 2007, 09:23:55 PM »
I would add: someone mentioned bars.  This is a salient point.  Bars in China, with the exception of places like Yangshuo and Kunming where there are a plethora of good, cheap bars selling the local (much better than average for China) beer for like 5 RMB a big bottle, are bloody expensive, starting at 20 RMB for a small beer (although here in dalian most bars have 10 RMB for qingdao which is OK).

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babala

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #12 on: June 22, 2007, 09:32:04 PM »
Hey Mimi,
         It's looking like I may be back in Changzhou myself. I would also suggest about $1000 Canadian. You'll need to get sheets, towels, glasses...etc. I remember my first school. They said they provided all that so I didn't bring any of it. I showed up at 11pm at night and couldn't even have a glass of water and had to use a shirt for a towel the next day. Surprise, the school lied asasasasas
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contemporarydog

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2007, 01:08:24 AM »
Yeah - a lot of 'house stuff' here can be pricey, or at least about the same as back home.  One american complained to me that he paid 50 RMB for an ironing board.  I reckon you would pay about that much in the UK for one, but he reckoned in the US it would only have been about 15 RMB.  Not sure if I believe that, but still.

Woks, pots, etc can add up to a lot.  Especially if you shop at one of my local loony superstores, Mykal.  German Woks there cost a piffling 3000 RMB!!!! Who buys that stuff?
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Raoul F. Duke

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Re: How much to just get by?
« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2007, 02:01:43 AM »
Didn't we just have this on another thread?

$500 US is minimal for a month....especially that first move-in month. More would definitely be better, but you can squeak by on $500 US.
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