36-year-old left the U.S. for China—now pays $1,000 rent and $100 for groceries for family of 4: It's my 'version of the American Dream’

a 36-year-old american named bradley krae moved to shenzhen, china in 2016 for an english teaching job. he now lives there with his wife and two kids, paying $1,000 a month for a three-bedroom apartment and $100 a month on groceries for the whole family. his total monthly expenses are about a quarter of what he paid living alone in the u.s. krae first visited china at 27, sold his car to buy a plane ticket from north carolina, and had never left the u.s. before. he and his wife relocated to tahiti during the pandemic but returned to shenzhen in june 2025. he now works as a marketing manager making $3,500 a month plus $1,200 from side gigs. his kids attend a public chinese kindergarten for $300 per semester, including food. the family uses drone food delivery, autonomous taxis, and subway rides that cost $0.30 across the city. krae says his main safety concern is electric scooters on sidewalks.