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

It is scientifically proven that exposure to nature improves your physical and emotional health. The power of nature is so strong in fact, that even the idea of nature can heal! A study conducted in hospitals showed that simply having a plant in the room, whether it was real or fake, could lift spirits and speed up the healing process. Having said that, fresh is best when it comes to plants and flowers. But who has all that time to go around Beijing shopping for the prettiest picks to place in a vase every few days? Here’s where the convenience of this urban city comes in – there are several flower subscription services that will deliver fresh pickings every week, straight to your doorstep. To begin, we’ll take a look at one we’ve tested ourselves.

Open your Taobao app and search 花点时间旗舰店 huā diǎn shí jiān qí jiàn diàn. Click on the second option from the bottom right 宝贝分类 bǎo bèi fēn lèi, aka Categories. In the column on the left choose the second option from the top and boom, you’re now looking at flower subscriptions. You can choose from weekly, biweekly, or monthly options.

They offer quite a variety of flower arrangements, like the Pro or Less, as well as just different types of roses. You can even select DIY to put together your own bundle. Prices start from RMB 39.9 for the cheapest weekly subscription. If you’re too spoiled for choice and can’t decide on which variety, you can always go with a reasonable budget that works for you and try it out for a month or so. Vases are an optional top-up or free with a minimum three-month subscription. Do note that they will suspend their services during the Chinese New Year period for about 2-3 weeks due to lack of delivery personnel, but they’ll send you extra bouquets to make up for it later. If you get their annual subscription, you’ll get additional bouquets on your birthday and special occasions, free-of-charge too!

If flowers aren’t your thing, you could also check out Taobao to get some plants for the new year. Plants are particularly good for feng shui too, if you’re into that sort of thing. From personal experience, here are three house plants that survive in Beijing and are available on Taobao. Pro tip: I used the platform’s photo search feature to look up the house plants that are currently in my apartment and learn their Chinese names, as they are not well-translated using translation apps.

Snake Plant 虎皮花 (hǔ pí huā)

We may call it the Snake Plant, but in Chinese, it’s the “Tiger Skin Plant” and to be honest, I think that’s a much better name given its look. What’s more, this is the perfect plant for ushering in the Lunar New Year since 2022 is the year of the tiger! Whatever you call it, these guys are pretty hard to kill, except by overwatering – which I’m learning about now in winter when they can go months without water. These plants are known for their air purification effects so they are particularly suited for the capital!

Philodendrons 绿萝 (lǜ luó)

According to thespruce.com, this is basically everyone’s favorite low-maintenance, low-light houseplant as well as one of the top vining plants for the home. Philodendron plants grow quickly, require very little upkeep, and are not picky about their growing conditions.

Succulents 多肉植物 (duō ròu zhí wù)

You see them all over Beijing for a reason – they do really well here. Mine even died, but before I had the chance to throw it out, the thing resurrected itself and has been thriving ever since. It can even grow new stems from fallen leaves, making it a really great science experiment for the kids. Fun fact: Its Chinese name literally means “plant with a lot of meat.”

KEEP READING: New Year, New You? Forget That! Here’s How To Make Habits Stick

Images: Taobao, Unsplash