Living in Kaifeng, China
Kaifeng is a large inland city in Henan, China (1 to 5 million people in the city proper). It has a mild climate, averaging 16°C over the year with about 572 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,730 a month to live centrally, and China sits in our low to medium tax tier. For foreigners, long-term residency in China is hard to obtain.
12 questions, about 4 minutes, no account needed. Taking the quiz is free, and so is seeing your #1 city. Full results for both of you are a one-time US$12 (€12 in Europe).
- Est. cost
- €2,730
- a month for a couple
- Tax tier
- Low to medium
- personal income tax
- Climate
- 16°C
- 572 mm rain a year
- Size
- Large
- 1 to 5 million people
- Safety
- 75/100
- country-level
- Internet
- ~240 Mbps
- median fixed broadband
- Residency
- Hard to obtain
- for most foreigners
What stands out about Kaifeng
- Faster internet than 89% of the cities we compare
- Long-term residency is hard to obtain
Residency and visas
Hard to obtain. Long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work residence permit (annually renewable) or, for permanent residence, a multi-year high-salary employment track or an active business investment; there is no retirement, passive-income, or self-sufficiency route.
The cheapest self-funded routes we track for China:
- Investment: about $500k (China permanent residence investment route, lowest tier (western region / national poverty-alleviation counties / encouraged industries): USD 500,000 contributed to a Chinese company's registered capital and held for 3 years; regulation is denominated in USD (USD 1M central region, USD 2M elsewhere); as of June 2026)
For short visits, 67 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 3 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 128 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules, figures as of June 2026. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Internet and remote work
Median fixed broadband in China runs at about 240 Mbps, faster than 89% of the cities we compare.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, median fixed broadband download speed, country-level.
Safety and stability
China scores 75 out of 100 on safety, safer than 79% of the cities we compare. Its EIU Democracy Index score is 2.1 out of 10.
Source: Our own country-level safety estimate (0 to 100, higher is safer), shared by every city in China. Stability: EIU Democracy Index.
Climate
Kaifeng averages 16°C across the year with about 572 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 32% of the 1225 cities we track.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Language and culture
Main languages: Mandarin. English proficiency: limited. Social openness scores 55 out of 100.
Source: EF English Proficiency Index (country-level); social openness is our secularism and tolerance composite.
Taxes
China sits in our low to medium tax tier: moderate personal income tax. We use three tiers (zero or very low, low to medium, high) and apply them to every city in the country.
Taxes are a dealbreaker filter in OurNextCity: a couple who caps tax at zero or very low will not see Kaifeng in their results.
Source: OurNextCity tax tiers, assigned by hand from each country's top marginal personal income tax rate and overall tax reputation, with no fixed rate cut-offs. Country-level and coarse by design; not tax advice.
Healthcare
China scores 64 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 45% of the cities we compare.
Source: Our own country-level healthcare estimate (0 to 100), shared by every city in China.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,730 a month to live centrally in Kaifeng, in line with the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 51% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model: a country-level cost index (New York = 100) scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget.
Questions couples ask about Kaifeng
Is Kaifeng a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Kaifeng scores well on safety and internet speed. It is weaker on English and political stability. Expect a mild, dry climate (16°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks Kaifeng and 914 other cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Kaifeng?
We estimate about €2,730 a month for a couple living centrally, in line with the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from a country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
What are taxes like in Kaifeng?
China is in our low to medium tax tier (moderate personal income tax). Tiers are country-level and deliberately coarse: zero or very low, low to medium, and high. Couples who make zero or very low tax a must-have will not see Kaifeng in their results.
Can foreigners live in China long term?
Our assessment: hard to obtain. Long-term residency runs through an employer-sponsored work residence permit (annually renewable) or, for permanent residence, a multi-year high-salary employment track or an active business investment; there is no retirement, passive-income, or self-sufficiency route. The cheapest self-funded routes we track: investment, about $500k (as of 2026-06).
What is the weather like in Kaifeng?
Kaifeng averages 16°C across the year with about 572 mm of rain, which makes it mild and dry. It is warmer than 32% of the cities we track.
Cities like Kaifeng
Closest matches in other countries across climate, size, coast, cost, safety, healthcare, internet, language and politics.
Near Kaifeng
Moving to China as a couple
Entry, residency, taxes and costs for a couple who both hold one of these passports.