Zhoushan vs Jinshi

Zhoushan is a cheap island city where a one-bedroom outside the center runs $119/mo and an inexpensive restaurant meal costs $3, so your money stretches further than almost anywhere else on this list. The catch is that local salaries average $597/mo and the expat community is very few, with English proficiency limited, so this is not a place to arrive expecting a ready-made social or professional scene. Air quality sits at 68 and healthcare quality is only fair, which matters for anyone with ongoing medical needs. Come for the low costs and the subtropical maritime climate, not for the retiree comforts it scores a 53 on.

Jinshi is a small subtropical city of 83 thousand where a single person can live on $325/mo excluding rent, with a 1-bedroom city centre flat around $404/mo. Internet runs $12/mo, a cappuccino costs $2, and an inexpensive restaurant meal is $3, so remote workers on tight budgets get real breathing room. The trade-offs are limited English proficiency, an air quality index of 68, and a digital nomad score of 58/100, though a retiree score of 69/100 and good healthcare suggest it suits slow-living expats more than fast-moving ones.