Local Salaries · China
What is a good salary in 🇨🇳 China (Shanghai)?
The median is about $767/month; top-10% earners clear $2,147/month.
The local wage ladder
| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $1,006 | $12,072 | 7,233 CNY/mo |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD). | $268 | $3,216 | 1,927 CNY/mo |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $767 | $9,204 | 5,515 CNY/mo |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $1,318 | $15,816 | 9,476 CNY/mo |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $2,147 | $25,764 | 15,437 CNY/mo |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $4,969 | $59,628 | 35,727 CNY/mo |
Modeled from World Bank GNI $14,230 (2025) and Gini 36 (consumption-based, widened to 43). Check where you stand in the interactive benchmarker.
Countries with similar median pay
- 🇲🇽 Mexico — median $765/mo
- 🇦🇷 Argentina — median $854/mo
- 🇲🇾 Malaysia — median $670/mo
- 🇨🇱 Chile — median $993/mo
See also: what everyday life costs in China · a fair US → China salary
Frequently asked questions
- What is a good salary in China?
- The median wage is about $767/month ($9,204/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $1,318/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $2,147/month.
- What is a top 10% salary in China?
- Roughly $2,147/month ($25,764/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $4,969/month.
- What is the minimum wage in China?
- About $268/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD).
- How are these China salary figures calculated?
- A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($14,230, 2025) and the Gini index (36, consumption-based — widened to 43 income-equivalent). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.