Ankang, China

Agriculture, forestry, and resource extraction dominate the local economy — think selenium-rich tea, medicinal herbs, and timber rather than tech startups or multinational offices. Traditional Chinese medicine processing is a genuine growth sector, with local factories supplying herbal products regionally and nationally. State-owned enterprises and government institutions are the largest stable employers. Remote workers and digital nomads can technically operate here, but there is no expat job market to speak of, and anyone expecting English-language professional opportunities will be disappointed immediately.

Rent for a decent two-bedroom apartment runs roughly ¥1,500–2,500 ($210–350) per month, making it genuinely cheap by any standard. Local food and transport are similarly low-cost — a bus ride costs under ¥2 and a full meal at a local restaurant under ¥20. Healthcare exists through public hospitals, but English-speaking doctors are essentially nonexistent, and serious medical cases typically require travel to Xi'an, about 3–4 hours away. Mandarin fluency is not optional here; this is a monolingual city with no expat infrastructure, and bureaucratic processes like visa renewals will require a local intermediary or significant language ability.

Summers are hot and humid with heavy monsoon rains from June through September; winters are cool and dry but manageable at around 3–4°C. The Han River valley scenery is legitimately attractive, and weekends can involve hiking in the Qinling-Daba mountain range, visiting ancient temples, or eating excellent Shaanxi-style noodles for under ¥15. The expat community is effectively zero — you will not find a foreigner bar, an international school, or an English-language social group. This city suits a Mandarin-fluent person pursuing deep cost-of-living arbitrage or someone with a specific research or cultural interest in rural central China.