One of China’s biggest job portals, Zhilian Zhaopin, regularly releases their data on average monthly salaries in China.
It’s important to note that the data reflects recruited salaries – the publicly listed salary information that companies advertise on the Zhaopin platform.
The data we’re working with today is from 2023 (infographic) and 2024 (top 38 cities).
Let’s dive into these highest paying cities in China!
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China’s Highest Paying Cities
Two River Deltas of Central and South East China dominate top salary levels
China is a BIG country by most measurements, certainly including landmass and population. While there are plenty of regions doing well in China, two river delta regions on the East Coast stand out here.
The first is the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) area in the Central Eastern part of the country. With bustling hubs like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Ningbo, the YRD may be the largest concentration of adjacent metropolitan areas in the world.
Next up is the Pearl River Delta to the south. This electric economic zone not only contains Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Xiamen… but also includes Hong Kong and Macau. The full region is also referred to as the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and has historically been at the forefront of economic development and technological innovation for China.
Top 10 Chinese Cities by Average Salary in 2023
1) Shanghai 上海: ¥13,486 RMB ($1,879 USD)
2) Beijing 北京: ¥13,438 RMB ($1,872 USD)
3) Shenzhen 深圳: ¥12,774 RMB ($1,780 USD)
4) Hangzhou 杭州: ¥11,796 RMB ($1,608 USD)
5) Nanjing 南京: ¥11,061 RMB ($1,508 USD)
6) Suzhou 苏州: ¥10,933 RMB ($1,491 USD)
7) Guangzhou 广州: ¥10,883 RMB ($1,484 USD)
8) Ningbo 宁波: ¥10,704 RMB ($1,459 USD)
9) Zhuhai 珠海: ¥10,425 RMB ($1,421 USD)
10) Xiamen 厦门: ¥10,403 RMB ($1,418 USD)
Top 38 Chinese Cities by Average Salary in 2024
Here’s the full Q2 2024 list from Zhaopin in translated English and original Chinese. After getting out of the top 10, we can see more cities from other regions listed. The Central (Wuhan, Hefei, Changsha, Chongqing) and Northeast (Jinan, Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian, Shijiazhuang, Changchun) regions stand out here.
Top-Tier City Salaries
Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen emerged again as the top three cities for recruitment salaries. These metropolises boasted average monthly salaries of approximately 13,000 yuan, with median salaries exceeding 10,000 yuan.
Hangzhou secured the fourth position, offering an average monthly salary of 11,909 yuan and a median of 9,904 yuan.
As is to be expected, the overall order of cities did not change much from 2023, but the average city salary levels did increase a bit pretty much across the board.
High-Tier City Salaries
The next group of cities, including Nanjing, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Zhuhai, and Xiamen, all demonstrated competitive salary ranges.
These locations reported average monthly salaries between 10,000 and 11,000 yuan, with median salaries ranging from 8,500 to 9,000 yuan.
Regional Salary Patterns
Higher salary levels further concentrate in these economically significant regions:
- Yangtze River Delta: Cities like Wuxi and Hefei maintained relatively high compensation levels.
- Pearl River Delta: Dongguan and Foshan showed strong salary performances.
- Central and Western Regions: Wuhan, Changsha, and Chengdu exhibited comparatively robust salary structures.
Check out some of our related resources on salaries in China:
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