Our electricity bill here in China is 15 times cheaper than in Ireland.”
Healthcare in China vs. Ireland
I live in Changtu, a small town of about 130,000 people in Liaoning Province, just a 30-minute high-speed rail ride from the provincial capital, Shenyang. Everything here is incredibly affordable yet accompanied by a remarkably high quality of life.
Take everyday expenses, for example, The other night, my family and I went out for pizza, onion rings, wedges, egg tarts, and soda, and the bill came to just €9. A yearly broadband internet connection costs about €100—roughly a quarter of what I’d pay back in Ireland.
One of the things I appreciate most is how low the utility bills are. Our electricity bill for a family of three averages just €15 a month, which is easily 10 to 15 times cheaper than it would be in Ireland.
This dramatic price difference exists because electricity in China is managed as a public utility. The primary mission is to ensure affordability for the general public, rather than generating profits for corporate interests.
Furthermore, China has significantly expanded its energy portfolio to include massive volumes of renewable power—such as hydroelectric, solar, and wind—thereby increasing overall energy production and lowering costs.
The final piece of this logistical puzzle was China’s massive investment in ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission lines. By revolutionizing the transmission of electricity over vast distances, this infrastructure solved the country’s geographical energy imbalance. Today, both renewable and non-renewable energy can be delivered seamlessly, resulting in lower consumer costs and a cleaner environment.
Don’t get me wrong, living in a Tier 1 city like Shanghai or Beijing would be much more challenging, as everyday living expenses like rent, food, and shopping are significantly higher. But we chose this beautiful small town for a very specific reason: we set up a non-profit school here to help contribute to education in rural China
If you’d like to visit the Middle Kingdom, explore our Top 30 China Experiences.
