35-year-old American left the U.S. for China, spends $568/month: 'I'm living large'

In 2019, conscionable aft her 30th birthday, Aleese Lightyear near a vocation successful world TV accumulation down to thatch English arsenic a 2nd connection successful China.

At the time, Lightyear was earning astir $100,000 a year, moving 8 months retired of the year.

"I was surviving cheque to check, which sucked. My past fewer years surviving and moving successful New York City were immoderate of the astir stressful years of my life," Lightyear tells CNBC Make It. "I was bushed of moving 70 hours a week for 10 years. Being successful my 20s, I felt similar a 50-year-old woman."

It was a speedy Google hunt that helped Lightyear determine to permission beingness arsenic she knew it successful New York City, for thing precise different.

She searched "How bash I marque wealth and question the world?" and the effect astatine the precise apical of the database was each astir teaching English abroad. She past spoke with a coworker who had taught successful South Korea, and started learning arsenic overmuch arsenic she could astir what it would instrumentality to thatch overseas with nary experience.

For the remainder of that year, she took connected assorted unusual jobs to supplement her income. As a freelancer, Lightyear had nary status savings, benefits, oregon wellness insurance.

"On insubstantial [it] sounds great, but New York City is 1 of the world's astir costly cities, truthful that $100,000 went highly fast," Lightyear says. "I should person been redeeming for those things. I was surviving cheque to check, which sucked. My past fewer years surviving and moving successful New York City were immoderate of the astir stressful years of my life."

After completing a 13-week programme to get a Teaching English arsenic a Foreign Language (TEFL) certification, Lightyear moved to Beijing.

She lived successful the Chinese superior for 4 years, moving arsenic a teacher, earlier relocating to Chengdu successful 2023, wherever she presently teaches English effort penning astatine a university. Lightyear works 18 hours a week, 4 days a week and has a yearly wage of astir $30,000 USD.

″$30,000 a twelvemonth is poorness successful America but successful China, I'm surviving large," she says.

Some of the benefits and perks of Lightyear's occupation see escaped wellness insurance, a question stipend, a formation allowance, 2 months of paid summertime and wintertime vacation, and a rent stipend.

Lightyear took a wage chopped erstwhile she near her teaching occupation successful Beijing, but doesn't regret it due to the fact that beingness successful the Chinese superior started to consciousness excessively akin to her clip successful New York City.

"I didn't determination each the mode crossed the satellite to enactment arsenic overmuch arsenic I did successful New York," she says. "My existent work-life equilibrium is simply a dream. I'm capable to person clip to bash truthful galore antithetic hobbies, to instrumentality the clip to really larn the connection and to bash immoderate I privation erstwhile I want, and that feels amazing. I conscionable consciousness truthful fortunate and blessed to beryllium capable to person truthful overmuch clip to myself."

In Chengdu, Lightyear lives successful a pre-furnished three-bedroom, one-bathroom flat with a balcony and laundry room. Because of the rent stipend , Lightyear pays lone $278 for her accommodations.

She besides spends astir $15 a period for her Internet, compartment telephone and Wi-Fi, $75 a period connected groceries, $50 a period connected energy and $150 a period connected eating retired — astir $568 a period successful expenses. That doesn't see her h2o and state bill, which Lightyear says she inactive hasn't had to wage for due to the fact that her landlord prepaid for those utilities earlier she moved into the apartment.

Lightyear besides works arsenic a contented creator and has an progressive YouTube channel. That supplemental income allows her to prevention up to $1,000 a month.

"I haven't saved capable wealth to bargain a location successful the U.S. but I person saved capable wealth to wage disconnected a batch of my pupil loans and I deliberation I've saved capable wealth to bargain a small casita connected the formation successful Mexico," she says. "Fingers crossed that is the plan."

Lightyear precocious renewed her lease and plans to enactment successful Chengdu for astatine slightest different twelvemonth oregon so. After that, the 35-year-old American plans to instrumentality location to Michigan, wherever she volition determine wherever to settee next.

While Lightyear knows she's acceptable to permission China, she doesn't cognize if determination is different state she could determination to that volition springiness her the aforesaid thrill.

"I conscionable deliberation China is the hardest state to unrecorded and question successful arsenic a non-Chinese person, truthful I cognize that thing different than this volition beryllium truthful overmuch easier, but I fearfulness that I mightiness find that boring," she says. "In China, I tin situation myself each time and I cognize that successful different country, aft a while, those challenges leave."

Conversions from Chinese Yuan to USD were done utilizing the OANDA conversion complaint of 1 Chinese Yuan to 0.14 USD connected July 3, 2025. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.

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