Aleese Lightyear may have never imagined a future living in China, but after a decade of struggling to stay afloat in New York City, she’s glad she took the leap.
The 35-year-old now lives in Chengdu, China, and teaches essay writing at a local university. Despite earning the equivalent of $30,000 a year, she works just 18 hours a week and says her quality of life has improved drastically.
“The quality of my lifestyle in China is much better than the quality of life I had living in the U.S.,” said Aleese Lightyear in a feature with CNBC.
From affordable rent to full health coverage and travel perks, her new life abroad has allowed her to pay off student loans and save up to $1,000 per month — something she never thought possible while living in the U.S.
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Leaving the U.S. for a better financial future
Before moving abroad, Lightyear spent 10 years working in reality TV production in New York City, often clocking 70-hour weeks. Despite her hustle, she found herself living paycheck to paycheck and burning out.
“One day I woke up and it just clicked that this is not the life that I want for myself,” said Lightyear, “I came up with this idea that I wanted to leave New York.”
Of course, she had some doubts, but she overcame those fears with the possibility of a better life.
“My excitement trumped my anxiety and my scared feelings,” said Lightyear.
She took a leap and moved to Beijing in 2019 to teach English. After four years, she relocated to Chengdu, a lesser-known city with a population of about 20 million. Now, she teaches university students how to write essays in English. Though she earns far less than the average New Yorker, she says her money goes much further.
She pays just $278 a month for a three-bedroom downtown apartment — her employer covers the other half of the $556 rent. On top of that, they provide full health insurance, a $15 monthly subway stipend, and $1,200 annually for flights home.
Groceries cost her only about $75 per month. With few major expenses, she’s been able to chip away at student loans and save a solid portion of her income.
She also earns a small side income as a content creator and has built a supportive network of local friends and expats.
“I feel completely safe — as a woman, as a woman of color, I just feel very at ease in this country,” she said. Her long-term goal? To buy a beach house in Mexico, funded by the savings she’s building in China.
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The ‘new American dream’
More Americans are rethinking the traditional version of the American Dream.
That shift may be rooted in reality. According to some estimates, achieving the full scope of the American dream, including a comfortable retirement, homeownership, vacations, raising children and more — could cost upwards of $4.4 million.
But most Americans earn far less in a lifetime. According to research published in Demography, men in the U.S. earn an average of $1.5 to $2.4 million over a lifetime, depending on education, while women earn $870,000 to $1.5 million. Even when coupled up, those average lifetime earnings aren’t enough to achieve the standard American dream.
Faced with rising costs and stagnant wages, millions have moved abroad. American expats are now scattered across the globe, with top destinations including Mexico, Canada, the U.K., Israel, Germany, Australia, South Korea, France, Japan and Spain.
For some, moving abroad is less about escape and more about opportunity: the chance to reclaim time, financial stability and personal freedom without being locked into a grueling 9-to-5.
If you’ve ever considered leaving the rat race, it may be worth exploring what life could look like elsewhere. Lower living costs and higher quality of life might just open the door to your own version of success — one that doesn’t come with a million-dollar price tag.
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