Salaries by Location

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 the first part of 2023. Let’s dive into these highest-paying cities in China! 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 2023: Here’s the full 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. More from this series on salaries in China: Highest Paying Jobs in China – Local Data 2023 Highest Paying Job Sectors in China – Local Data 2023 Highest Paying Pharmaceutical Jobs in China (2023) Average Software Engineer Salary in China – 14 Sources Compared Average Salary Ranges for New University Graduates in China Hiring in China? We can help, and likely lower your hiring costs by over 80% We’ve been recruiting in China since 2014! Our China Recruiter Pro service helps companies utilize leading Chinese platforms just like Zhilian Zhaopin. Contact Us for a free consultation to discuss hiring goals, salary & compensation budgets in China, and if TeamedUp China is the right fit to support your organization. Book A Call Get in Touch Let’s find your next great China-based team member together. 

Zhilian Zhaopin, one of China’s biggest job portals, has recently released their data on average monthly salaries in China. It’s important to note that the data reflects recruited salaries, or the publicly listed salary information that companies advertise on the Zhaopin platform. Let’s dive in! Average Salary in China, Country-wide In the second quarter of 2023, the average recruitment salary of enterprises in 38 Chinese cities was ¥10,266 RMB ($1,430 USD) per month. This average is up 1.6% since Q1 2023, but still down around 0.7% compared to the same time period last year Q2 2022. Breaking it down a bit further: The 25th percentile of recruitment salaries is ¥6,001 RMB ($836 USD)/month, The median is ¥8,001 RMB ($1,115 USD)/month, The 75th percentile is ¥12,001 RMB ($1,672 USD)/month. Average Salary in China by City Salary in Shanghai continues to top the list Zhaopin monitored 38 core cities across China. Shanghai has held the top spot on this list for quite some time, and comes in at the #1 spot again with an average monthly salary of ¥13,486 RMB ($1,879 USD)/month. Beijing followed with an average monthly salary of ¥13,438 RMB ($1,872 USD)/month. Shenzhen ranked third with an average monthly salary of ¥12,774 RMB ($1,780 USD)/month. Hangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou, Guangzhou, and Ningbo round out the top 8. We also have median salary data here and can see the median salary of the top 3 cities – Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen – exceeded ¥10,000 RMB ($1,393 USD)/month. It’s also interesting to note that there is a 59% difference in the median salary between the first (Shanghai) and last (Harbin) cities on this list. Fastest Growing Wages in china By City The rapid development of smart manufacturing in Wuxi, Suzhou, and Ningbo drives up wages Here we have the year-on-year salary growth rankings of the 38 Chinese cities. Wuxi ranked first, with salary increasing by 6.1% year-on-year. Lanzhou and Xiamen rounded out the top 3. Suzhou and Ningbo had year-on-year growth rates of 2.1% and 1.6%, respectively, ranking fourth and ninth.  The salary of the Intelligent Manufacturing industry led to the rise in some key cities of the Yangtze River Delta. The monthly salary of enterprises in the electronic technology/semiconductor/integrated circuit industries in Wuxi, Suzhou, and Ningbo increased by 8.6%, 5.8% and 10.7% respectively compared with the same period last year. The instrumentation and industrial automation industries increased by 7.1%, 6.9%, and 15.3% respectively. This points to strong development in the regional Intelligent Manufacturing industry. In addition, cities such as Lanzhou, Xiamen, Kunming, Changchun, and Shijiazhuang also experienced relatively obvious growth rates in this quarter, mainly driven by the recovery of the consumer industry. The average recruitment salary in the fast-moving consumer goods industry increased by 18.3%, 5.8%, 17.7%, 8.8%, and 14.2% respectively compared with the same period last year. More from this series on salaries in China: Highest Paying Jobs in China – Local Data 2023 Highest Paying Job Sectors in China – Local Data 2023 Highest Paying Pharmaceutical Jobs in China (2023) Hiring in China? We can help, and stay within your budget!  We’ve been recruiting in China since 2014! Our China Recruiter Pro service helps companies utilize leading Chinese platforms just like Zhilian Zhaopin. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss hiring goals, salary & compensation budgets in China, and if TeamedUp China is the right fit to support your organization. Book A Call Get in Touch Let’s find your next great China-based team member today.