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Is 100,000rmb a good salary for shanghai?

Last activity 12 June 2022 by martjo

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CaptWire

I don’t know if it’s after or before tax, but it’s 20,000 usd a month.

We’re a newlywed couple and been offered a job with that salary at Beijing but we’re thinking about the lifestyle that money can get you in Shanghai.

Anyone? Before and after tax?

kerrywee

yes .that is good salary and without tax i think .coz in china .you dont need to pay tax by yourself .

VANNROX

Salary

100,000 RMB/month is an extremely good salary. It is so good, that I have to ask you what business are you in.  Because most people don't make that much. Company owners don't make that much. Senior Engineers with 40 years of specialized experience don't make that much. It is equivalent to $16,000/month in USD.

You might be misinterpreting the actual value.  Salary rates for positions in China is a pretty regulated system.  The rates are published and known to all. Download the Robert Walters PDF and compare.  You can get it HERE, and HERE for a different opinion (same values though).

As you can see HERE, the only people who are making that kind of salary in China are Bank owners and directors at the highest levels of the "food chain". Since you have just got married, I can assume that you are young. The amount that you specified simply does not agree with conventional values. Because the value you posted is so outrageous, I would suggest the following are possible reasons for the discrepancy;

1.  The value you quoted is wrong. It is either a typo, or a misunderstanding. Alternatively they promised you "the moon" to get you to accept a position. Saying something like "If you are good, you COULD make up to...".

2. The value you quoted is correct. In which case you are being asked to do something particularly dangerous or illegal. My guess is that it is a lie and you will not see anywhere near that amount of money.  It sounds like a Nigerian (419) Scam of one type or the other.  Go HERE to find out more.

3. You could be lying and it is just "click bait". No need to do that here. Mostly this is a forum for use by expats to get help that is often difficult to come by. The "like" icons are for administrative use more than to provide any kind of revenue for the user.

I would suggest that you take a good hard look at what they are offering you.  My guess is that the figure of 100,000 is either $100,000 USD/year or 100,000 RMB/year. If it is in USD, then the amount of money is quite generous. As the cost of living in China is substantially lower than that of the USA.  If the amount is 100,000 RMB/year then you are looking at a standard Chinese salary.  This is the salary for entry-level Chinese university graduates.

All expats should look at a salary  range from 10,000 to 30,000 RMB/month.  You can get offers less than that, but you don't need to accept them.  There are more than enough places that will hire you for more.  The normal range is from around 15,000 to 23,000 RMB/month depending where you live and what you do. This will provide you a very comfortable life.

Taxes

As far as taxes are concerned, yes if you are an American you will need to pay double taxation. You will have money deducted from your salary for Chinese taxes, and then you will have to give from 40 to 60% of what remains to the United States government. The good thing is that you will not have to pay state taxes, you will only need to pay federal taxes.

Taxes in china are proportioned by income.  People who pay less than 5,000 RMB pay little tax.  People who are paid around 20,000 RMB/month pay much more.  People who pay around 40,000 pay much, much, much more.  People who make more than that don't pay taxes, they have creative ways to hide their income.

If your monthly salary were to be $100,000/month in Shanghai, I would suggest you hire an accountant. 

Summary

Unless you are a star quarterback, a famous singer, a really hot programmer, a hedge fund manager, or a very pricey hooker, it is unlikely that the amount offered you is legitimate. Best luck in what ever you would do.  If I were you, I would walk away from this scam and not look back.

http://www.hotheads.com.au/nigerian-scammers-at-work-02.jpg

ShanghaiDriver

I know this guy in his 40s who makes a little over 1.5M RMB per year before tax, plus fancy apartment, driver and other perks. He's a GM at a middle sized European company in Shanghai.
Everyone I know with relevant skills earns over 30k RMB/ month plus other benefits in Shanghai.
Last time I went to my favourite steakhouse joint, I forked out almost 900 for 2 (washed down with house wine) and end up with a piece of super dry leather! Consistent quality my  a$$!

OP welcome to China/Shanghai, if your monthly income is not around 30k/month you will be putting steak, cheese ...on your Xmas wish list, every night!
The horror will follow whenyou get your GF/wife pregnant during your little adventure in the Middle Kingdom!

CaptWire

Well there’s no need to say it’s impossible it’s airliner captain for an A320, salary is 18,000 usd a month... plus 10,000 a year housing, plus 10,000 a year base expenses 12,000 a year extra expenses and 20,000 yearly bonus.. so average it’s... 23,000usd a month. And every year it’s +1,000 a month until you hit the 5th year cap.

Medical insurance for 12.5 million rmb and so on.

Thanks for your replies.

And I’m Mexican.

CaptWire

Pretty much all of the pilot jobs there are almost the same, some are higher some at a little lower but at the end it’s around 120k rmb a month.

I assure you it’s not fake.
facebook.com/jobs.pilots/

sh3n

I should have been a pilot hahahaha

VANNROX

And to think that I used to fly AE-6B's for the United States Navy and gave it up to be a GM in China. What was I thinking? (Slaps myself on the head!)

Good for you.

Now some serious advice.  This amount of money is not something that you take for granted.  It's a good salary and you should definitely appreciate the opportunity that you are being given.

1.  Taxes will be substantial.  Use an accountant.

2.  Put money away in savings.  Make sure that you are paid in yuan.  If you are paid in USD, there will be a yearly limit of 50,000 USD per year per name on the bank account.

3.  Research the professional risks.  Depending on your VISA and your passport, you will need to be very careful in how you record your flight time.  If you were an American, you could lose your certification if you are not careful.  Make sure that you meet the certification requirements as a pilot for both China and Mexico.  Keep them both active and record for both.  You don't want to suddenly discover that you cannot fly all of a sudden. Make sure that you keep up with your BFR, and medical certificate for BOTH nations.

In summary, I must say that I am truly happy for you.  I am glad that you are married and that you are moving to China to start a new life.  You are doing this in the eve of a Dog Year.  What an exciting time! I hope that the little that I can say at this time will help you in some way. I am happy for you and your wife. Fantastic!

rike yao

so good salary, would you guys thinking about buy a house in china?


Rike

TaxMao82

The answer about taxes paid in China if you are an Expat (in this case an American) is dead WRONGYou do NOT have to pay double taxation.  You get a credit on your U.S. Tax Return for the taxes paid in China.  Also, you will get a Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) Sec 911 of about $108,000 per taxpayer on your income earned overseas.  You also will NOT have to pay payroll taxes in the U.S. (Social Security and Medicare) on income that you earn abroad like you would if you had a regular W-2 job in the USA.  So, while taxes are high in China  (especially for Non-Residents), you will likely (Depending on how much income and the type of income you receive) not have to pay taxes in the U.S. on that earned income made in China.  Clearly, anyone working in China as an expat needs to get an accountant (U.S. CPA preferably) and not listen to random answers posted by non-accountants on these types of websites. ***

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LocalDaniel

I am a Shanghainese local. I could tell u 20,000 usd per month is a great number in China. If you couple have this salary, u could have a very comfortable living in Shanghai.

kasperxia

my gosh,it's a lot. you can well live in Shanghai by that salary.

seandownes19

hi Actually u would be surprised how many expats are on $16,000-22,000 USD a month in China i know at least 20 . Of course we keep it on the downlow  :cool:

MattyTE

seandownes19 wrote:

hi Actually u would be surprised how many expats are on $16,000-22,000 USD a month in China i know at least 20 . Of course we keep it on the downlow  :cool:


Not just expats.  It's not an uncommon salary for Chinese middle management in Shanghai.  Particularly at mid sized tech, finance etc... firms.  I know more than 20 people making those figures!

It is still a good salary but if you're supporting a wife and children on that, it doesn't go as far as one would think.

VANNROX

I will confirm that many expect, and my personal opinion is around 95% of them, make a management level of salary for the region. Which is pretty much around 10,000 RMB in the smaller, more rural locations, and up to the low 20,000's in the higher larger cities.  Most expats are around 15,000 RMB/month. This is regardless as to what ever you were brought on board with.

I can tell you for two personal examples where I was hired on at the high expat rate, and then they reduced it.

[1] Management; I was brought on at 35,000 /month + bonus. Then they got rid of the bonus, and then they let me go.

[2] Senior Management. I was brought on at 65,000/month + bonus. They got rid of the bonus after 9 months. then slashed my salary to 32,000. The next year slashed it to 18,000. Then the year later slashed it to 14,000 RMB/month no bonuses at all.

[3] Teaching. Teaching will have highs and lows. You get brought in at 18,000 but discover that your actual cash salary is around 14,000 as they included other "issues".

The bottom line is this; this is the normal and typical salary for an expat. If you are brought in at a higher amount, check to see how unique you are or your value to the company that hired you. If you are truly special, then you can expect that salary to last the duration of the contract. Otherwise there is a possibility of it getting sliced mid-year.

Rextravis

You are better off as a teacher to teach at an international
school as the salary is guaranteed and you receive salary increases every 2 years, and the contracts include rent, flight tickets, moving allowance, retirement fund, etc....
Lower pay scale for less experienced teachers in international schools is approximately 24000-28000 rmb per month up to 38000 rmb to 55000 rmb per month as you climb the salary scale...(again, these are approximate!)

martjo
10 years ago (2012)  Expat Architectural  Design Director was paid  1.3M -1.5M /year before tax but 1/2 of that was paid as expenses against fapiao for living/rent so paid tax only about 10,000/ months so taking home over 90,000/month Not sure if that is still tha case.

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