Industry: Freelance Marketing

Age: 22

Location: Shanghai, China

Salary: about $36,000; plus husband’s, a product development manager, $240,000

Paycheck Amount: $1,000-2,000 every two weeks, paid and stays in the U.S. My husband brings over $2,100 of his paycheck to China each month. The rest of his paycheck ($5,650) + $1,390 in rental income we make on the house we own and my entire paycheck stays in the U.S.

# of Roommates: 2, my husband and our kitten

Monthly Expenses

Rent: $333 (My husband’s expat contract gave us a $4,166 a month for rent, but we went over by $333, so we pay the difference.)

Mortgage: $1,050 (on our house back home in Cleveland, OH)

Utilities: $121 in China (internet, electric, gas, and water); plus $250 in U.S. (for our tenants renting out our house)

Phone Bill: $90 in the U.S. (We kept our numbers on a low plan, but pay for my mom’s plan); plus $41 in China (my husband’s company covers his)

Car Loan: $400 (for our car back home, trying to sell it!)

Life Insurance: $300

Health Insurance: Husband’s plan covers

Retirement: $650

Housekeeper: $83

Gym Membership: $266 each, per year (paid)

Yoga Membership: $1,750 per year (paid)

Hulu, Netflix, Spotify, & VPN: $36

Money for Travel Savings Account: $1,325

Transportation: Husband’s company pays for our driver. Most companies that bring foreigners overseas to work under an expat contract won’t allow the foreigner to drive in the country. If the foreigner gets in an accident, the costs could end up falling on the company, so they prefer to provide their expat workers with drivers to avoid any complications.

Day One 7:30 a.m. — Wake up feeling TERRIBLE, so I pop a few DayQuils we brought when we moved from the States.

9:30 a.m. —My mom stocked our freezer with food when she visited from the States last month. We only moved to Shanghai a few months ago, so it was her first visit and her first time to China. (She loved it — she’s already saving up for a trip back next year.) I munch on a to-go breakfast wrap she made as I head out the door.

9:55 a.m. — A team of my former coworkers and I are starting up a digital marketing agency together. I'm checking out potential co-working office spaces with my cofounder today and got to the first tour early. Free tea while I wait!

10:30 a.m. — We want to time the commute, so we walk to the subway station near my house and take the subway to the next office space. It's 45 cents, but I have money left on my transit card.

11:30 a.m. — The tour's over and we decide to do lunch. We both have sore throats, so we go for a soupy noodle place. It's only $7.82 for us both, but we've been out for the agency, so we comp it to the company.

1:30 p.m. — Since we're a group of freelancers starting the agency together, we're all still working from home until we decide on a place. I want to take an Uber (SO cheap here) but my cofounder lives near my place and she convinces me to walk back with her, instead. It's insanely hot and humid, so I grab an iced tea on the way down. $4.06

3 p.m. — Take a break from working to order groceries from Kate & Kimi, since it's same-day delivery if you order by 3 p.m. I can't think under the pressure and grab papaya, apples, pears, kiwis, blueberries, cauliflower, broccoli, frozen peas, soy sauce, a bottle of lemon juice, and a pack of pre-marinated chicken, hoping it's enough to last until our guests come into town. $23.91

6:30 p.m. — Husband will be home from work soon and I'm starving. I snack on some hummus I made last week and rice chips I brought from the States last time I visited. Do so while making cauliflower "fried rice" and the marinated chicken thighs for dinner.

7:30 p.m. — Why does everything taste gross when you're sick?! My husband finishes up my plate and opens a home-brewed beer while I make a smoothie with the groceries from today. We settle in for a night in front of the TV.

Daily Total: $27.97