Last month, The Global Times reported that “the average cost of raising a child until the age of 18 was RMB 485,000 yuan (US 76,556) in China in 2019, which was 6.9 times China’s GDP per capita, much higher than many countries including the US, France, Germany, and Japan.” The number was calculated based on household income and consumption expenditures released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

Well, that’s what two years of kindergarten costs at my kid’s international school.

While few of us have raised a child from birth to adulthood here in Beijing, a quick survey of the cost of living over the last few years can tell you a lot. Websites such as Expatden report that “In 2010, foreigners could easily find an apartment between RMB 2,000-4,000 near the city center, and nowadays it’s hard to find a one-bedroom for less than RMB 5,000. A subway ride (no matter the distance) was also a mere 2 kuai (the colloquial term for the RMB) up until 2015.” I took the subway the other day from my home near the 4th Ring Road to the office downtown – it cost RMB 4. That’s twice the price.

We asked some expat parents currently living here what they felt was the biggest culprit for their spending and the response was unanimous – education. As expats without a Beijing 户口 hùkǒu – or standard household registration – public schools are off the list for our children, leaving us to choose from international schools which carry a heftier price tag. How much heftier you ask? Well, based on the latest information we collected for our annual School Choice Guide, you could be driving a BMW X1 right now instead of paying for your child’s K12 international school education.

It isn’t just education though. “Costs are much higher in Beijing compared to what we were paying in the US and Germany for housing [and]medicine,” shares Darla Ridlon, expat mother of two. Fellow expat mom Serina Baik-Lueders adds that “along with international health care, other expat extra learning activities outside of the school are pricier.” Expat parent and professional photographer Dave Hanssen echoes the sentiment that “hobbies such as youth sports and art classes” take up a large chunk of our Beijing budgets.

One category of spending finds some disparity in agreement – food. For some expats we spoke to, grocery prices, as well as dining costs, added significantly to the financial burden of living in Beijing. But for others, food costs remain low in comparison to their home countries. We can definitely chalk this up to personal dining preferences because we know that a jianbing will run around RMB 8 or RMB 10, but a 280-gram Australian-imported steak at Blue Frog will set you back some RMB 250. Simply put, it really depends on how often you eat out, or cook, and where you shop for your groceries.

What’s the upside to living in Beijing then? Well, as Ridlon shares, “employers do cover many of our living expenses to help balance the cost differences of expat living.” That’s what drives most of us to become expats in the first place, plus the cultural exposure and adventure. The incredible convenience and availability of waimai and DiDis, both of which thankfully remain cheaper than overseas, help too. Let’s just hope it stays that way.

Expat life can be expensive. Want to know how your family budget stacks up against the rest of the expat community? Take jingkids “Which Expat Family Budget Are You?” quiz to see how you fit in!

KEEP READING: What Will Beijing’s Teens Do For Money?

Images: Unsplash, Pexels

Before we moved to Beijing, I set writing goals for myself. One of those goals was to write at least one article for beijngkids, now Jingkids International.

See, in the months and years leading up to the move, my husband’s company had given us copies of the magazine for research. Most of my thick relocation binder consisted of pages I’d torn out of their Home and Relocation Guide or School Choice Guide. Reading the issues on healthy eating and new trends in arts education prepared me for a much fuller, more vibrant family life in Beijing than any tourism website ever could’ve provided.

I saw alternatives to dairy yogurt, important for a family with various dietary needs. I found photos of green spaces surrounded by old murals or families playing sports, a sharp contrast to the more familiar skyscrapers often seen in travel brochures. The pages of the magazine and website reflected the kind of exciting life we wanted for our kids, where they would be challenged to learn a new language and find their way through another culture’s customs. We saw families from all over the world, living and working and learning and playing in the city we would soon call our own.

I got to know the different schools by feverishly studying the School Choice Guide, eliminating some schools by location, and marking others for future tours. When any question arose on the school process, my first stop was the Jingkids archives.

And when I returned to Beijing in July 2020 after being stranded, I had a story brewing about preparing for quarantine with kids. I looked up Managing Editor Mina Yan’s WeChat, pitched it to her, and within three weeks had a job offer as Deputy Managing Editor. (There were many steps in between, of course, but it felt like a whirlwind to me.)

I’m not sure I can properly describe the hole this job filled in my life, or how it caused my entire self to expand. I’d been working from home for over a decade, with stops and starts as my kids came into the picture and my husband’s job demanded more of his energy: The “Mom Gap,” I’ve heard it called. And here came a job that wasn’t scared of how I’d pieced together a freelance life, but embraced it, wanted it.

And wanted me to write about it.

Me and Mina Yan, Managing Editor and faithful believer in me.

From that moment on, every part of my life in Beijing became a mystery to solve. I thought back to how much I’d depended on Jingkids to steer me in the right direction when it came to events and schools. What aspects of daily life did people like me need help navigating? How could I turn my obsession with WeChat groups into useful, engaging stories that Beijing families would want to read and share? What do I wish I had known before I moved here and after? What aspects of parenting are magnified when you’re an expat, specifically here? Everything around me became a possible article.

And you, dear readers, joined me on this journey. Whether you saw me struggle through school WeChat groups, navigating a rare allergy in a different country, making a school choice checklist, finding new ways to connect with the school community over livestream, searching for the best Beijing birthday party, investigating whether to leave China this summer or celebrating kids who know no gender binaries – all of this has been for you.

My kids even got to be on our March/April 2021 cover and inside spread!

Most writers dread the comments section, and I’ve had my share of those days. But what made any day worth it was the private messages of support, or thanks for tackling a weird topic, or those of you who considered a subject differently because of something I wrote. Even, and especially, everyone who challenged me in some way or pointed out something I missed; everything I write is better thanks to you.

My family’s time in Beijing feels much too short. I still have so many stories and lessons and questions from our time here, and I hope this isn’t goodbye forever. Our family will repatriate this July, which means leaving my job in the capable hands of our new Deputy Managing Editor Vivienne Tseng-Rush. It will be hard to leave but easier knowing how our circle of friends and readers has grown during our time in Beijing.

Of course, there are so many things I didn’t get to do, yet I treasured every single moment here, even if it’s getting kicked off the grass at a park – because I got to share it with you.

KEEP READING: Super Size Me: Moving Abroad Gave Me Body Issues

Images: Uni You, the Grand Mercure Hotel

This past year, beijingkids covered all aspects of the expat family life in Beijing, from our School Choice Guide in January to our Giving Back issue in December. As 2019 comes to a close, let’s take a look back at a few of the hot topics from each month.

January

Give Your Teen the Entrepreneurship Edge Before It’s Too Late

Disgruntled School Janitor Injures 20 Pupils in Beijing’s Xicheng District

February

Where to See the Best Light Shows for Lantern Festival

Peppa Pig Live Comes to Beijing

MarchReported Arrests of School Staff Highlight Dangers of Flouting Chinese Law

Beijing Men Do Almost as Much Housework as Women, Study Says

April

Family-Friendly Excursions: 12 Short Hops to Escape the Beijing Hustle

Ranked First in China: Beijing Received a Total of 63 Ivy League Offers

May

Quick-Witted Ayi Saves Boy From Kidnappers in Dongcheng

Raising Third Culture Kids: Where Is Home?

June

Beijing Clamps Down on Profiteering Kindergartens

Put Your Baby in the Driver’s Seat: Luxury Bentley Motors Diapers

July

What I Wish I’d Known Before I Moved to Beijing, Part 1: “You Aren’t Supposed to Flush Toilet Paper!”

Top 9 Places to Buy Souvenirs in Beijing

August

A Weekend Getaway to Guyaju Ancient Cliff Dwellings

All We Need is Love: Messages of Hope for El Paso Teachers and Students

September

Autism Services for Children in China: A Therapist Responds

US Company Produces Brainwave-Monitoring Tech for Chinese Schools

October

啊! The Beijinger Launches Chinese Edition!

One Day Trip to Chengde’s Imperial Mountain Resort

November

YCIS Joins UNICEF for Project Going Blue, Shedding Light on Children’s Rights

“I’m Glad My Baby Died”: A Mom Says Her Miscarriage was a Blessing

December

A Fabulous Holiday Break Awaits Students at YCIS Beijing

Lean Mean Fitness Machine: Fitness Through Pregnancy

Photos: Pixabay, beijingkids