Moving to California from China
What to Expect
Considering a move from China to California? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from China to California, you would find that California is 3.8 times more expensive than China overall. A CN¥507,720 salary in China would need to be roughly $190,169 in California to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Sacramento averages 74°F vs 64°F in Beijing, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between China and California.
What does your salary buy?
CN¥507,720 → $190,169
To maintain the same standard of living in California
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 5.9 times more
Groceries
pay 3.0 times more
Transportation
pay 2.8 times more
Housing
pay 7.1 times more
Childcare
pay 3.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.3 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in California cost about 185% more than cities in China.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
What the data shows about people moving from China to California.
people moved from China to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
-
3.2,184,110
China
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in California compared to China.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
China performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
California performs significantly better than China across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
China generally does better on employment & economy, though California leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
California performs significantly better than China across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Beijing | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 42°/22°F (6°/-6°C) | 60°/41°F (15°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 79°/51°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 90°/57°F (32°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/32°F (11°/0°C) | 65°/44°F (18°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Beijing | Sacramento |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/15°F (1.6°/-9.4°C) | 54°/39°F (12.1°/3.8°C) |
| Feb | 39°/20°F (4.0°/-6.9°C) | 60°/41°F (15.7°/5.2°C) |
| Mar | 52°/31°F (11.3°/-0.6°C) | 65°/44°F (18.4°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 68°/45°F (19.9°/7.2°C) | 71°/46°F (21.7°/7.9°C) |
| May | 80°/56°F (26.4°/13.2°C) | 80°/51°F (26.6°/10.6°C) |
| Jun | 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.2°C) | 87°/56°F (30.6°/13.2°C) |
| Jul | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.6°C) | 92°/58°F (33.4°/14.7°C) |
| Aug | 85°/69°F (29.5°/20.4°C) | 91°/58°F (32.9°/14.4°C) |
| Sep | 78°/58°F (25.8°/14.2°C) | 87°/56°F (30.7°/13.2°C) |
| Oct | 66°/45°F (19.0°/7.3°C) | 78°/50°F (25.3°/10.1°C) |
| Nov | 50°/31°F (10.1°/-0.4°C) | 64°/43°F (17.7°/6.0°C) |
| Dec | 38°/20°F (3.3°/-6.9°C) | 54°/38°F (12.2°/3.6°C) |
Data:
China Meteorological Administration,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between China and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
China passport holder visiting United States
Visa Required
United States passport holder visiting China
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in California than China?
On average California is around 154% pricier than China, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to California?
Budget about $47,542 for 3 months in California (based on a CN¥507,720 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from California?
From major California cities the network usually holds up. Visa rules, your employer's stance on overseas employees, and tax residency in China and California are what actually decide it long-term.
How is healthcare in California compared to China?
China performs better than California across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in California compared to China?
The average high temperature in Sacramento is 74°F, compared to 64°F in Beijing. Sacramento receives around 18.5 in of rainfall per year, while Beijing gets 22.8 in.
What language do they speak in California?
The official language in California is English. In China, the official language is Chinese.
