Maybe if you are comparing it to the US cost of living? The average manufacturing job for tech companies in China is around 12k usd a year, while a middle class yearly income starts around 15k a year. So they are in the upper end of the working class.
The basic cost of living is just extremely cheap compared to western countries. Although the wages are only 20-25% when compared to US manufacturing, the cost of basic necessities like housing and food are about 3x cheaper.
It really matters what region you are talking about, tier 1 cities are quite a bit more expensive than tier 2 and 3, but still affordable compared to western nations.
Maybe if you are comparing it to the US cost of living? The average manufacturing job for tech companies in China is around 12k usd a year, while a middle class yearly income starts around 15k a year. So they are in the upper end of the working class.
The basic cost of living is just extremely cheap compared to western countries. Although the wages are only 20-25% when compared to US manufacturing, the cost of basic necessities like housing and food are about 3x cheaper.
It really matters what region you are talking about, tier 1 cities are quite a bit more expensive than tier 2 and 3, but still affordable compared to western nations.