A 36-year-old man moved from the US to China—now paying $1,000 in rent and $100 for food for a family of 4.

As a child, I traveled a lot. I was born in California, but have lived in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Montana and Oklahoma. I haven’t had the chance to call anywhere “home” for a very long time. So if you had told me then that I would end up in China, I would have laughed.

I visited China for the first time in 2016. I was 27 years old and got a job as an English teacher in Shenzhen, the fast-growing tech hub across the border from Hong Kong. I sold my car and used the money to buy a plane ticket from North Carolina. I had never been outside the US before.

For the next four years, living in Asia gave me the opportunity to visit places like Cambodia and Thailand. I loved traveling because it was a profound opportunity to test my courage and resilience, find meaning and expand my worldview.

Today, I live in Shenzhen with my wife and our two children. Here’s why it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

My wife was born in Tahiti and both her parents are from China. When we met, he was working here as a French teacher.

When the epidemic started, we had lived in China for three years and were on vacation in the US. With the borders closed, my wife and I decided to move to Tahiti to be closer to her parents.

After five years, we had two children under the age of five. There were parts of our life in Tahiti that we loved, but something was missing. China still felt like our real home and we returned to Shenzhen in June 2025.

I am still grateful for that first teaching job. Landing on it was an accident, but without it, I wouldn’t have my family and the life I have now.

After returning to Shenzhen in 2025, I continued my work as an English teacher, making about $4,000 a month.

We rent a three bedroom house for about $1,000 a month. Internet costs about $29, and electricity is about $100.

We spend about $100 a month grocery shopping for our family of four. When we eat out, we rarely spend more than $10 in total. We also pay about $90 a month for health care.

That being said, I pay about a quarter of what I paid for my monthly expenses when I lived in the US – and that was when I lived alone.

To me, Shenzhen is like Silicon Valley and New York City having a baby in China. It’s a bustling tech capital with surprises around every corner.

Flying drones deliver food in 15 minutes or less and private taxis drive through streets lined with glowing neon lights. There is some real cyberpunk potential here.

Public transportation is also good. The subway goes everywhere and they build lines quickly and efficiently. You can take the subway all over the city for about $0.30.

And I usually don’t carry a wallet or keys. If I need to pay for something, I use my phone, scan a QR code or use biometrics, like a hand print. It’s very simple.

When we lived in Tahiti, I taught English and made a few videos about that. But in 2025, my wife suggested that I start posting consistently on TikTok to give people a look at what life is like in China.

I started an account, the videos started and before I knew it, I was an influencer. This led to more opportunities, which landed me a full-time job as a marketing manager in February.

It’s a more traditional job than I’m used to, and it pays less than my teaching gig. Now I make close to $3,500 a month, plus about $1,200 a month from my side gigs.

But I’m not stuck at a desk all day. My company is flexible with the hours, which gives me time to pursue other side interests and interests, and I can take work home with me.

Shenzhen is very family-friendly, with lots to do for children. The city has more than 1,000 parks, thousands of indoor playgrounds and a wide range of community activities for families.

I have no need or desire to be a helicopter parent here. I’m not worried about things like gun violence. My main safety is electric scooters that fly down the sidewalks.

My children are also growing up speaking three languages. My wife speaks French with them, they speak English with me, and they learn Mandarin at their school, a Chinese community kindergarten. That costs about $300 per semester for both kids, including food.

Overall, I have found the food at our kids’ school – and what is available at our local grocery stores – to be much healthier than what you would find in the US.

No one is more surprised than me that I found my own version of the American Dream here in China.

Bradley Krae is a writer, content creator and marketing manager. He lives in Shenzhen, China with his wife and two children.

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