36-year-old American Bradley Krae moved in 2016 to Shenzhen, China as an English teacher, a decision that changed his life. There he met his wife from Tahiti and had two children. After a five-year stay in Tahiti due to a pandemic, they returned in June 2025 to Senzen. Today he pays only $1,000 rent for a three-bedroom apartment and $100 monthly for four-member family food—One quarter of the expenses in the United States. He works as marketing manager with a monthly income of $4,700 and considers Senzen ideal for the safe, trilingual upbringing of his children.
Analyticalally:
American Bradley Krae lives in Shenzhen with his wife and their two children. He considers this choice one of the best decisions of his life.
ARTICLE SUMMARY
- Bradley Krae moved to Shenzhen, China in 2016 as an English teacher, a decision that changed his life. He traveled extensively to Asia, finding meaning and broadening his perspective, considering this option one of the best.
- He met his wife in Shenzhen and created a family. Due to the pandemic, they temporarily moved to Tahiti, but returned to China in 2025, as it still resembled their real home.
- The costs of living in Shenzhen are four times lower than the US, while the city, a live technological metropolis, operates with advanced infrastructure, such as drone deliveries and payments via mobile.
- Krae evolved into a content creator and marketing manager, with flexible and well-paid work. Senzen is considered safe and family friendly, offering an ideal environment for the trilingual upbringing of his children.
As a child, American Bradley Krae often moved. The author, content creator and marketing manager was born in California, but lived in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Montana and Oklahoma. He never had a chance to call a place «Home» For a long time. So if someone told him then he would end up in ChinaHe'd laugh.
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He'd never traveled out of the US before.
He visited the China for the first time in 2016, at the age of 27, when he found work as an English teacher in Senzen, a rapidly developing technological center near Hong Kong. He sold his car and used the money to buy a plane ticket from North Carolina. He'd never traveled out of the US before.
Over the next four years, his life in Asia gave him the opportunity to travel to countries such as Cambodia and Thailand. He loved travel, as it was a deep opportunity to test his courage and endurance, to find meaning and to widen his perspective.
Today he lives in Shenzhen with his wife and two children. He considers this choice one of the best decisions of his life.
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He met his wife and created a family
His wife was born in Tahiti and her parents come from China. When they met, he worked as a French teacher.
When the pandemic broke out, they were already living three years in China and on vacation in the US. With the border closed, they decided to move to Tahiti to be closer to her parents.
Five years later they had two children under five. Although there were elements of their lives in Tahiti that they liked, something was missing. China still resembled their real home and returned to Shenzhen in June 2025.
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He still feels grateful for that first job in teaching. Her finding was almost random, but without her she wouldn't have the family and life she has today.
He spends less money than in the US.
After returning to Senzen in 2025, he continued to work as an English teacher, with a monthly income of about $4,000.
The family rents a three-bedroom apartment at about $1,000 a month. The Internet costs about $29 and the electricity averaged $100.
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They spend about $100 a month on food for a four - member family. When they eat out, they rarely spend more than $10 in total. In addition, they pay about $90 a month for health care.
Overall, his expenses correspond to about a quarter of what he had when he lived in the US – and then he lived alone!
He feels he's living in the future
For him, Senzen reminds a combination of Silicon Valley and New York within China. This is a live technological metropolis, full of surprises.
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Drone deliver food in less than 15 minutes, while autonomous taxis circulate on streets illuminated with intense neon. The city is intense. «cyberpunk» energy.
Public transport is excellent. The subway covers almost the entire city and expands quickly and efficiently. Moving around the city costs about $0.30.
No usually need wallet or keys: payments are made via mobile, QR code or biometric data, such as handprint. Technology is both advanced and easy to use.
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His work is flexible and well paid
During their stay in Tahiti, he also worked as an English teacher and created videos about this experience.
In 2025, his wife suggested that he start systematically publishing content on TikTok about life in China. He created an account, the videos gained impact and soon gained presence as a content creator.
This led to new opportunities and eventually a full-time position as marketing manager in February.
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Today he earns about $3,500 a month from his main job, plus about $1,200 from parallel activities.
His work is more «traditional» in relation to earlier, but it offers him flexibility in the hours, allowing him to engage in other activities and work from home.
He feels he can raise his children safely
Senzen is considered especially family friendly, with more than 1,000 parks, thousands of indoor gaming spaces and many activities for children.
He does not feel the need to be a overprotective parent. He does not worry about issues such as violence and his basic concern concern is about electric scooters on the streets.
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His children grow up as trilingual: they speak French with their mother, English with him and learn Mandarin in their public kindergarten, which costs about $300 per semester for the two children, including food.
In addition, it considers that both school food and local store products are healthier than the USA.
Overall, even he is surprised to find his own version «American Dream» China.
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