The between-jobs quarter
A 90-day reset with a beginning, a middle, and an end: visa, apartment, every headache — prepaid at one fixed, published price, so your burn rate can't run away while you job-hunt. China's overbuilding (762 million m²; rents falling for a year straight) is what makes the fixed price possible, and it usually lands somewhat below what staying home costs. You come back with a planned sabbatical instead of a gap.
The honest math
$6,678–9,883
$5,650–8,950
Cost basis: Numbeo mid-2026; national rent index falling 11+ consecutive months (Caixin). All-in range varies by accommodation tier and lifestyle choices. See the line-by-line breakdown →
The bases
The real arbitrage is district-level: half-empty new-town complexes with slashed rents — and existing metro lines. Ghost-city pricing, real-city infrastructure. We skip the true ghost cities; cheap that fails the livability test isn't cheap.
The flagship. Eternal-spring climate on ghost-market rents.
| 1BR center | ¥1,600 (~$225) |
|---|---|
| 1BR outside | ¥1,200 (~$170) |
| Monthly, ex-rent | ~$540 |
Why it's cheap: Worst-performing large housing market in China — prices down 6.9% y/y; new supply exceeded household growth by 10–30%.
Climate: Year-round 15–25°C. The best weather of any major Chinese city.
Exit route: Direct rail to Laos; short flights to Vietnam and Thailand.
Mega-city amenities at oversupply prices.
| 1BR center | ¥2,940 (~$410) |
|---|---|
| 1BR outside | ¥1,250 (~$175) |
| Monthly, ex-rent | ~$481 |
Why it's cheap: Decades of enormous land releases left a deep, chronic surplus — especially in new-town districts with metro access.
Climate: Mild winters, furnace summers. Best as a fall or spring base.
Exit route: Major hub airport; cheap flights to Hong Kong for a clean exit.
Lowest home-price-to-income ratio of any major Chinese city.
| 1BR center | ~¥2,000 (~$280) |
|---|---|
| 1BR outside | ~¥1,300 (~$180) |
| Monthly, ex-rent | ~$500 |
Why it's cheap: Deliberately loose land-supply policy keeps housing famously cheap; supply exceeded demand by 10–30%.
Climate: Four seasons; hot summers, chilly damp winters.
Exit route: High-speed rail to Hong Kong West Kowloon (~3h).
Mild winters and the easiest overland exit routes in the country.
| 1BR center | ~¥1,500 (~$210) |
|---|---|
| 1BR outside | ~¥1,000 (~$140) |
| Monthly, ex-rent | ~$460 |
Why it's cheap: New supply exceeded household growth by 10–30%.
Climate: Subtropical — mild winters, humid summers.
Exit route: 3–4 hours overland to the Vietnam border. Cheapest exit route anywhere.
The deepest discounts in China — May through October only.
| 1BR center | ~¥1,400 (~$195) |
|---|---|
| 1BR outside | ~¥900 (~$125) |
| Monthly, ex-rent | ~$450 |
Why it's cheap: Deepest oversupply tier: new supply exceeded household growth by 30%+, compounded by population decline.
Climate: Glorious summers. Winters reach −25°C — this is a seasonal play.
Exit route: Flights to Seoul or Hong Kong for a clean mainland exit.
All headaches considered
Budget autopilot
Most of our customers aren't disciplined budgeters. Good — the environment does it for them. We don't teach you discipline; we remove the need for it.
The standard Chinese lease (押一付三) prepays your entire stay's rent on day one. Because major costs are locked immediately, you know your exact financial floor. You aren't guessing your runway; you operate within a mathematically closed system.
Virtually every transaction flows through Alipay or WeChat Pay, so you generate a perfect spending ledger automatically. We turn it into a weekly burn-rate report — no receipts, no spreadsheets.
Opt into a daily allowance loaded as Alipay top-ups. When the day's budget is spent, it's spent — and at Kunming prices, the budget is generous anyway.
Prototype pricing
$3,600 per 90-day cycle
Standard apartment in an oversupplied district. We handle visas, registration, and setup. You control daily spend.
$4,200 per 90-day cycle
Upgraded apartment in a prime neighborhood with ergonomic workspace. Same peace of mind, more comfort.
$4,800 per 90-day cycle
Serviced apartment with housekeeping. Show up and start living — zero landlord hassle.
Where this goes next
China is the flagship — the deepest arbitrage and the best story. But the product is the honest reset quarter, not one country. Three more bases are in the pipeline, each solving a constraint China can't.
Read the honest map — why these three, and why not Latin America →
Each base opens only after we've run its full playbook ourselves — same rule as China. Nothing here is bookable yet.
The honest part
Working remotely on a tourist visa is prohibited under Chinese law — even for a US employer, even paid into a US account. Enforcement has historically been near-zero, but the risk is asymmetric and we won't pretend otherwise. The US State Department advisory also notes arbitrary law enforcement and exit bans; rare for ordinary visitors, real enough to say out loud.
If you want to work legally, there are two genuine routes — including one that launched in October 2025 that almost nobody knows about. Read the four lanes →
What comes next
Some people come for one reset. Others realize Asia fits and stay for years. You decide what's next — after you've had the break, not before.
A complete product. Turn a gap into a planned sabbatical — you tell the story your way. The quarter stands on its own; nothing more is required.
K Visa for STEM talent. Z Visa for sponsored roles. Or remote work from Thailand (DTV) or Malaysia (DE Rantau), where digital nomad visas exist.
Spring in Kunming, fall in Chiang Mai, winter in Mérida. Your 10-year visa opens all of it — use it as much or little as you want.
We don't upsell you. We make sure you know what's possible, then you choose.
