QSI International School of Dongguan
AmericanInternational
Fee not published
Confirmed on its own website
Cost of Living inDongguan, Guangdong, China
Guangdong, China9.6MUpper middle incomeRemote-work friendly
Image credit: DragonSamYU
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Your money goes 2.12x further
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). China: $25,067/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Overall
3.3x further
Prices are 69% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Rent
11x further
Prices are 91% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Groceries
2.8x further
Prices are 64% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Restaurants
4.7x further
Prices are 79% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Income Category
Upper Middle
World Bank GNI
GDP per Capita
$25,067
PPP, International $
City Population
9.6M
Child Education
Public-school quality + expat access, alongside international and private school cost — the two paths a relocating family weighs.
Public schools
This describes China as a whole. Enrollment rules and school quality can vary within the country, so check with schools in Dongguan, Guangdong.
Quality
Good public schools
Expat access
Legally possible, hard in practice
hardInstruction
Mandarin
Local-language fluency usually matters.
PISA / outcomes
Qualitative only
Using curated quality notes for now.
Why this quality rating
China's public system is academically strong, but the standard local-school path is not designed around short-horizon expat families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Resident enrollment is sometimes possible, but hukou or local assignment practices and Mandarin-medium instruction make the public route hard in practice.
🚫 Homeschooling
Homeschooling not legalChina's Compulsory Education Law requires all children to attend school. Homeschooling is illegal and the law is enforced. Some underground homeschooling communities exist but face legal risk.
Homeschool legality in China — check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
International & private schools
1 confirmed school
2 more suggested by AI, not verified
- American1
Schools' websites are found with Wikidata and OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), and each is checked on the school's own site.
Childcare & Domestic Help
Current nanny and household-help pricing snapshot for Dongguan, Guangdong, China.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$600-$850
monthly · confidence 0.65
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$1,100-$1,500
monthly · confidence 0.65
Source: curated family relocation research
Getting Around
The concrete mobility picture for Dongguan: airport access, urban transit, and rideshare practicality.
Walkability score: 79/100 (transit supported). This is derived from the verified mobility profile and is used by the walkability gate.
Walkability
79/100
mobility profile transit backbone
Airport
Pearl River Delta airport access
Dongguan sits between Guangzhou Baiyun and Shenzhen Bao’an, so families get practical domestic and international air coverage without depending on a single local airport.
Urban transit
Intercity rail, metro, and bus
commuter railmetrobus
Dongguan combines the Guangzhou-Shenzhen rail corridor with local rail transit and buses, making many practical districts workable without a car.
Rideshare
Taxi and app-hailed rides
Taxi-hailing and app-booked rides are a routine fallback for station transfers, airport connections, and lower-frequency cross-city trips.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in China.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
23 facilities tracked
Facilities updated 7 months ago
Healthcare system
StrongHigh national coverage, strong doctor availability, and solid hospital-bed capacity support this rating.
Public care
StrongBroad public coverage, country-level outcomes are comparatively strong, and a visible public hospital footprint support this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe private footprint is not very visible yet and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
85/100
2023
Physicians
3.11/1k
2022
Hospital beds
5.63/1k
2023
Out of pocket
32%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
78.0 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
16/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
2.6/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedThere is visible specialty depth and country-level outcomes are comparatively strong help, but the private footprint is still thin and price transparency is still sparse.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Hospital: 21Dentist: 1Pharmacy: 1
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in China yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
东莞市人民医院
Hospital · Emergency
医务室
Hospital · Emergency
厚街医院
Hospital · Emergency
东莞市寮步镇凫山社区卫生服务站
Hospital · Emergency
中堂医院
Hospital · Emergency
道滘医院
Hospital · Emergency
System metrics: World Bank WDI · Updated 2026-11-01
Safety & Governance
City-level perceived-crime data is not sourced for Dongguan, Guangdong yet. Showing China national safety and governance signals until a matched city row lands.
Street Safety
Safety Index49/100
Crime Index51/100
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
Political Stability-0.30
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Agriculture & Farming | — |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | — |
| Construction | — |
| Education | — |
| Finance & Insurance | — |
| Healthcare & Social Work | — |
| Hospitality & Food Service | — |
| Information & Technology | — |
| Manufacturing | — |
| Mining & Quarrying | — |
| Other Services | — |
| Professional & Scientific Services | — |
| Real Estate | — |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | — |
| Transport & Logistics | — |
| Utilities | — |
2022 annual wages in Dongguan, Guangdong, China · Source: NBS (province-adjusted)
Price Comparison vs. US
big mac
$3.97Estimated36% cheaper
bread 500g
$1.62Estimated52% cheaper
budget hotel
$162.74Survey-verified348% more
childcare preschool
$717.20Estimated54% cheaper
eggs dozen
$2.02Estimated58% cheaper
gasoline liter
$1.22Estimated18% more
inexpensive meal
$5.41Estimated74% cheaper
internet 60mbps
$17.50Estimated74% cheaper
iphone
$1099.00Estimated10% more
luxury hotel
$162.74Survey-verified66% cheaper
milk liter
$1.93Estimated58% more
monthly pass
$28.16Estimated59% cheaper
rent 1br
$565.48Estimated69% cheaper
rent 3br
$1198.63Estimated62% cheaper
taxi km
$0.32Estimated83% cheaper
utilities basic
$82.15Estimated62% cheaper
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
evisa
US passport holders need advance travel authorization or a visa before entry.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page — no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Dongguan compared with the US?
Your money goes about 2.1x further in Dongguan than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Dongguan cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Dongguan is cheaper overall than New York City — overall living costs are about 69% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Dongguan. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Dongguan compare with New York City?
Rent in Dongguan is about 91% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Dongguan?
Groceries in Dongguan are about 64% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 79% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for China here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Dongguan, Guangdong
Dongguan is a manufacturing city of about 9.6 million in Guangdong province, sandwiched between Guangzhou and Shenzhen along the Pearl River Delta. The city earned its reputation as the workshop of the world during the 1990s and 2000s as Hong Kong and Taiwanese manufacturers built electronics, textiles, and furniture factories there, and it has since moved up the value chain into smartphones, robotics, and advanced manufacturing. Relocators are overwhelmingly corporate transferees tied to supply chains, with foreign communities concentrated in Songshan Lake and Houjie. English use is limited, Cantonese and Mandarin both circulate, the humid subtropical climate matches greater Guangzhou, and high-speed rail puts Shenzhen and Hong Kong within easy reach for weekend international travel.
Subtropical climate: hot, humid summers (30-35°C) with mild wintersInternet quality: Excellent fiber speeds (100+ Mbps commonly available)Growing expat community: ~50,000-80,000 expats, smaller than Shenzhen but rapidly expandingWalkability: Car-dependent sprawl outside downtown; neighborhoods vary widelyFood scene: Outstanding Cantonese cuisine and street food at very low pricesSafety: Very safe with strong public security presenceCoworking: Growing scene with spaces like WeWork and local alternatives in tech hubsCost of living: 40-60% lower than Shenzhen; excellent value for mid-range lifestyle
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