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:
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