Guangzhou - Post Report Question and Answers
What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
Safe, convenient, clean, and easy. - Apr 2023
Life is easy. Things are delivered quickly, the housing is nice, the commute is so short, you can buy anything you need on taobao. Lots of places to bike or run, running trails along the river are lovely, some nice parks, everything is new in our neighborhood. Lots to explore in the big city of Guangzhou. - Aug 2021
You can save a lot of money if you live like a local. You can easily find filling healthy meals for fewer than 3 US dollars on the local scene. - May 2019
Cheap good food, cheap good travel, and interesting work. - Nov 2018
The #1 benefit is being close to SE Asia with cheap flights out of Guangzhou or Hong Kong to just about anywhere you'd want to go in this area. - Nov 2015
Saving money, if you don't spend it all on travel. It's a great place from which to explore Southeast Asia, and it's only two hours from Hong Kong by train, which is one of its biggest advantages. Pottery and pearls can be purchased very inexpensively, and picture framing can be done for pennies on the dollar. Tailor-made clothing is also inexpensive but the fit and quality of garments can vary wildly. Considering the hardship differential, Guangzhou is pretty good living. - Aug 2014
Saving money, ease of travel to other Southeast Asian countries. - May 2013
The best 'local' advantage to Guangzhou is its proximity to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is just a two hour train ride away and provides an awesome mesh of local culture and a cosmopolitan feel. I recommend numerous weekend trips! Guangzhou is also a good location for cheap flights throughout SE Asia. Guangzhou itself is just...meh. - Apr 2013
Moderate weather, inexpensive travel to most of Southeast Asia, and you can definitely save money! - Jan 2013
Very little. The city is safe, very little crime against Westerners. Guangzhou is as expensive as Hong Kong. Many goods are cheaper in the US even though they are made in the Guangzhou area. The only way to ensure you get good quality goods is to ship them from the US. - Oct 2011
Guangzhou's major advantage is that it is close to Hong Kong (2 hour train ride) and Macau (2 hour bus ride, shortened to a 45-minute train ride by the end of 2011).When you need a break from the Mainland, it's easy to get away. I'm also told that relatively more people speak English in Guangzhou than other parts of China, probably due to the major international trade focus here. As far as saving money, we finally put together a budget a couple weeks ago and realized we're saving 50% of our income each month. - May 2011
