---
title: "What Is a Good Salary in China? — Geo-Parity"
description: "Median wage in China ≈ $767/mo; top 10% above $2,147/mo, minimum $268/mo. Full local wage ladder from World Bank data."
canonical: "https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/china/"
json: "https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=CN"
generator: geo-parity markdown twin
---
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 | $962 | $11,544 | 6,917 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 |

Modelled from World Bank GNI $14,230 (2025) and Gini 36 (consumption-based, widened to 43). Check where you stand in the [interactive benchmarker](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/?country=CN).

## Countries with similar median pay

- [🇲🇽 Mexico](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/mexico/) — median $765/mo
- [🇦🇱 Albania](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/albania/) — median $772/mo
- [🇰🇿 Kazakhstan](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/kazakhstan/) — median $782/mo
- [🇲🇻 Maldives](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/maldives/) — median $784/mo

See also: [what everyday life costs in China](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/united-states-vs-china/) · [a fair US → China salary](https://geo-parity.com/salary/united-states-to-china/)

## 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.

Log-normal model from World Bank data — estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data. Agents: GET /api/wage-bands.json?country=CN.

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Source: Geo-Parity — https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/china/ · JSON: https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=CN