Jul 17 2008
Living on $5 a Day Is Possible in China
I’ve been kicking around the villages of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces in China for about a week now and I think I’ve spent about $10. Ok, I may have spent a bit more than that, but not much in the grand scheme of thing.
For example, I was just in a village called Langde about an hour outside a city called Kaili in Guizhou and am spending a grand total of 20 yuan per night including a very yummy, big dinner of mysterious things. I could have got that for less I think as I know accommodation here usually goes for 10 per night but I am just a lazy bargainer. Exchanged to US$, 20 yuan comes to less than $3. There’s no internet here, nothing really to do besides wander the hiking trails around the town or swim in the river, and life is simple and peaceful. But if you’re the type who is after some quiet time to write, think, work offline, paint or whatever, then the price is right and the setting is stunning.
A few nights ago I was in a village called Zhaoxing which is just as beautiful but more commercial. It has a bit more going on for the visitor in the way of restaurants and hiking trails to other villages and accommodation here only cost 20 yuan per night for a room with a fan, toilet, and even a TV. Noodles for breakfast cost only 3 yuan and dinner with a couple of beers cost only about 12 tuan.
Before that I was in Chengyang, a super small one bridge (the attraction is a large wooden wind and rain bridge) town and the hostel cost 20 yuan per night with free internet (but no wifi), a toilet, a fan and a balcony overlooking the river. There are lots of trails around this village, lots of day trippers, and a couple of hostels with food and bars and it’s only 20 minutes away from the larger city of Sanjiang.
Last week I was in Dazhai, a community set among the Dragon’s Backbone rice terraces and my hotel cost a bit more at 30 per night but again, there was free internet, clean rooms, cheap meals, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
I just wanted to let everyone know how cheap you can live if you can do without certain things like Western food, wifi connections (although it is possible to set up a connection through a mobile phone… I think), and the hustle bustle of a big city. Living abroad really can cost as little as $5 per day in beautiful places if you know where to look.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
I've been travelling since January 2008 living off earnings from the web. Follow me as I bum around Asia and beyond, getting up to mischief and working online as I go. 
Ok Kirsty…..you are definitely making me really jealous with your recent posts. you are making want to pack my bags and get back on the travelling again. $5 days and lots of quiet time sounds perfect to me. Keep these posts up and I may well become a nomadic affiliate poster once again.
More stories please!!!!
I so wish I could live on $5 a day. That would be great.
It did try an experiment a few years back that I called, “Experiment 20″. I lived on $20 a week. Not quite as good as $5 a day. And that $20 didnt include my recurring expenses, such as rent, utilities, etc. It just included food, entertainment, toiletries, etc. It did however, allow me to save a lot of money.
Your site is great! I really enjoy hearing of your adventures.
-Jib
Wow, I’m jealous. In Europe $5 will buy you a coke and a bag of chips.
You are making me jealous too! Sounds like a great place. Nice picture.
OK, I’ll admit it. I’m jealous too.
Christine, in 2005 I was able to live in Barcelona on $14 a day which included my own room in shared flat. The year before that I managed about $24 a day in Oxford for the same lifestyle. Not living like a king, but not a pauper either. I realize prices have increased a bit since then though.
We were backpacking around Guizhou about a month ago - this (and your other posts) brought back good memories. Plates of delicious dumplings for less than $1, fantastic Sichuan hot pot (in Kaili) where we were both stuffed to the brim with food and beer for $4 each, noodles on the street…I could go on. We’re back in Europe for a spell and missing this style of eating (and missing the prices!).
And, the villages and weekly markets throughout Guizhou are fantastic - one of the highlights of our trip to China.
[…] Recently fellow blogger Nerdy Nomad, wrote about living on $5 a day in China. I hate to break the news, but this is completely impossible in Paris. While I spent four days in Paris, living as cheaply as possible I nearly broke 50 Euros a day. If you consider that most travel websites feature articles on surviving for under $100, this is no easy feat. Here’s what I did. […]
Great post. This is exactly why I live in China. If you get to Guangdong in your travels look me up.
[…] Be Creative: When I left the comfort of my full time 9-5 job in financial services, a lot of people to go seek out another full time (hopefully better paying) job. I’ve gotten a lot of skepticism that my approach may not work, but how are we to know until you try? Don’t be afraid to try new things, and remember the worst case scenario is that you fail and you can return to the comfort of a regular job. If you don’t believe me, check out Kirsty’s site, Nerdy Nomad, or Almost Fearless. They’ve veered well off the traditional path, but they’ve found happiness (and enough money to keep themselves afloat) along the way. Thinking outside the box has allowed me to design my lifestyle the way I want it to be: portable, fulfilling, and fun! […]
Thanks for the shout out that it’s possible! One of these days we’ll make the jump.
Living on 5$ a day? I have traveled (on a budget) trough Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam the last couple of years but spent quite a bit more. I can’t get rid of my western habits, I’m used to to much luxury I think. I could live on 5$ a day for a short while but not for longer periods.
[…] Cheap to live there - Sure, Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities are probably more expensive than they used to be and they’ll certainly be more expensive than small towns, but it’s still possible to live very cheaply in the big cities. The small towns are even better value for money and if you stick to villages you can live ridiculously cheaply. […]