Open a pit, Digital Nomads series ---- Mainland China version

Find the city with the best cost-performance ratio for living.

As we all know, most of our work in the Yaw Neck Mountain industry is remote, and there is no need to punch in at the office from nine to six like traditional jobs. (Of course, the downside is being on standby 24/7, 365 days a year, from Monday to Sunday.)

So how to find the most cost-effective living solution is a very interesting question.

Later, I will go live to analyze the cities I have researched one by one. Today, I will first write the outline directions for selecting my place of residence:

1. Cultural and Tourism Resort Properties (Coastal/Mountainous):

Features: A large number of resort properties built by well-known developers after 2010 (especially after 2015) in remote coastal or mountainous towns (such as along the coast of Shandong, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yonghan Town in Huizhou, Guangdong, and Emei Mountain in Sichuan). The occupancy rate is extremely low (often <10%, off-season <5%).

Environment: The natural environment is excellent (especially in summer), public facilities are complete but spacious, providing a tranquil and private vacation atmosphere (no people on the road, beach).

Housing resources: Mainly focused on one-bedroom or one-bedroom with living room small apartments.

Price: Short-term rentals generally range from 80 to 150 u/month (for example, a one-bedroom apartment in Yangjiang Moon Bay is 90 u/month), with stable prices and no off-peak or peak seasons. For annual rentals with direct agreements with landlords, further price negotiation is possible.

Cost performance: The building standards are relatively high (due to the high investment in early housing prices), and the living experience far exceeds the price.

Concerns: Coastal erosion leads to facility aging, and high maintenance costs combined with a low willingness to pay property fees may result in a decline in future value for money. Rental prices for mountain vacation homes are usually slightly higher than similar ones along the coast (for example, a one-bedroom apartment in Emei Mountain is about 150u/month, while in Lijiang it can reach over 200u).

Current situation: It is still the preferred choice for short-term residence or residence in recent years, allowing for low-cost enjoyment of a quality environment and experience.

2. Digital Nomad Community (Emerging Trend):

Features: Located in picturesque towns or villages. Diverse forms (renovated old houses/preserved ancient styles/new developments), with a core focus on shared spaces (work areas, leisure areas, kitchens, etc.) and communal living.

Target Audience: Mainly remote freelance workers around 30 years old.

Advantages: Provides an offline social platform to compensate for the shortcomings of a narrow social circle in remote work.

Check-in: Application is required, generally starting from one week.

Price: Shared room bed 30-100u/month; Single room 150-400u/month.

3. Suburban Labor Housing (Provincial Capital New Town Satellite City):

Features: Located in the new urban areas/satellite cities around provincial capital cities (such as Nanjing Huangmei Station Phoenix City, Kunming Taiping New City). Transportation is relatively convenient (often with subways), but there is a serious oversupply of housing, insufficient population support, and a significant drop in housing prices and rents.

Typical phenomenon: high vacancy rate, low rent.

Recommended Place - Kunming Taiping New City:

Advantages: Excellent climate (spring-like all year round, warm winters and cool summers), good ecological environment, comprehensive facilities (shopping malls, hospitals, schools), subway planning in progress.

Rent: The monthly rent for a newly renovated three-bedroom apartment is only around 150u; a two-bedroom with ordinary decoration is even cheaper. The cost-performance ratio exceeds that of small holiday homes.

Disadvantages: Strong ultraviolet rays require sun protection, and there are strong winds all year round.

Universality: This phenomenon is widespread in the new cities surrounding many provincial capitals such as Qingdao, Wuhan, and Changsha.

4. Traditional village homestays in tourist destinations:

Features: Distributed around well-known tourist destinations across the country, traditional villages (such as on both sides of Erhai Lake in Dali and the outskirts of Lijiang), almost every household has converted to a guesthouse.

Price: Significantly affected by the off-peak and peak seasons (peak seasons are May Day, National Day, and Spring Festival), during the off-peak season, the homestay is willing to offer a low monthly rent (about 150u/month).

Advantages: Convenient move-in (supports short-term rentals of 15 days/1 month), diverse environment with a fresh feel.

Distribution: Commonly found near famous mountains and rivers.

Disadvantages: The space is small, suitable only for short-term experiences.

5. Hollowing-out Rural Transformation (Emerging Trend):

Features: Mainly in Tengchong, Ruili, and Qujing in Yunnan, transforming idle courtyards in hollow villages into vacation resorts. Unlike homestays, you can have the entire courtyard to yourself.
Case: Tuba Chong, Qujing, Yunnan (Renovated adobe/red brick houses form a rural style resort).

Price Status:
Promotional price 100u+/month is mostly for very small courtyards or long-term rentals (more than 2 years).
Short-term monthly rent (a few months) is generally around 400u.

Potential: If the number of future projects increases and competition intensifies, leading to rents decreasing to levels similar to ordinary high-rise buildings, having a private small courtyard to enjoy the rural environment will be highly attractive. The self-rental renovation model (such as Taihang Mountain Stone Village with an annual rent of 600u) requires long-term leases for many years.