Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash
🇨🇳 East & South Asia
Moving to China from the US
China for American digital nomads: no dedicated nomad visa, and a heavy tax regime once you become tax resident. Tourist entry for US passports: Varies by nationality: many Western passports currently get short visa-free stays (policy changes often and unilaterally); otherwise a tourist (L) visa is required. Check the current list before booking.
East & South Asia 🧾 heavy tax
China in numbers
At a glance
| 🛂 Tourist entry | 🇺🇸USVisa needed🇪🇺EU30d🇬🇧UK30d🇨🇦CA30d🇦🇺AU30d |
| 🛂 Digital nomad visa | No dedicated digital nomad visa |
| 🏠 Path to permanent residency | Extremely rare/difficult 'Chinese Green Card', not a practical nomad path |
| 🌍 What gets taxed | Worldwide, with relief for newcomers Once you are a tax resident it taxes income from anywhere, but a special rule shelters foreign income for some new residents. |
| 📈 Top income-tax rate | 45% Brackets: 45% top |
| ✨ Special regime | 6-year rule genuinely shelters new residents' foreign income if managed carefully (a single qualifying absence resets the clock) Foreigners who have lived in China for fewer than six consecutive years are taxed only on Chinese-source income; a single trip abroad of more than 30 days resets the six-year count. |
| 🇺🇸 US tax treaty | ✅ Yes Stops the same income being taxed by both countries and can lower tax withheld on things like dividends. |
| ⚖️ Family-law exposure (payer) | Obligation 5/10 · cross-border collection 3/10 |
| 🗣️ English | Low proficiency (EF index 464) National average from the EF English Proficiency Index 2025; big cities and tourist areas usually run higher. |
| 🏥 Healthcare access | Very high (WHO coverage index 85/100, 2023) How well essential care reaches the population. Most Americans abroad use private care and insurance; this measures the public system. |
| 👩 Women's safety & rights | Moderate (WPS index 0.700) Women, Peace and Security Index 2023/24 (Georgetown GIWPS): safety, legal rights and inclusion. |
| 🏳️🌈 LGBTQ+ equality | Moderate (Equaldex index 56/100) Equaldex Equality Index (equaldex.com, CC BY-SA): laws plus public attitudes. |
| 🛡️ Safety (hard stats) | Homicide 0.5/100k · road deaths 17.4/100k |
Full detail with ratings and sources: visas & residency · tax breakdown · legal exposure · safety & crime
Data last updated · Source: Compiled from the visas, tax and legal datasets
Cities we cover in China
🇨🇳 Beijing
Cheaper than expected for a megacity; banking, visa and VPN friction for foreigners
🇨🇳 Shanghai
China's financial capital; modern and cheaper than Hong Kong; banking/VPN friction for foreigners.
Photos from Unsplash: Beijing by Christian Lue on Unsplash · Shanghai by Hanny Naibaho on Unsplash
Month-by-month weather: Beijing climate · Shanghai climate
⭐ China on our best-of lists
⛩️ Other countries in East & South Asia
Moving to China: common questions
Can Americans move to China?
There is no dedicated nomad or passive-income visa, so most Americans need work, study, investment or family routes. Path to permanent residency: Extremely rare/difficult 'Chinese Green Card', not a practical nomad path.
How long can Americans stay in China without a visa?
A US passport needs a visa before travelling to China. China has no dedicated digital nomad visa, so living there longer needs another residence route.
Will I pay tax in China as an American?
Heavy: once resident, local income tax applies at relatively high rates. What gets taxed: worldwide, with relief for newcomers; the top rate is 45%. As an American you also keep filing with the IRS wherever you live; the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and foreign tax credits usually stop you paying twice.
What does it cost to live in China?
About $1,567–$1,617 a month for one person, all-in (everyday costs plus a 1-bedroom city-centre rent), across the 2 cities we cover.
Is English spoken in China?
Not widely. The country ranks "low" on the EF English Proficiency Index; plan to learn the basics of the local language.
Is China safe?
China's homicide rate is 0.5 per 100,000 people a year (the US is roughly 6), and road deaths are 17.4 per 100,000. On our country scale that's "safer".