🇺🇸 US vs 🇨🇳 China
The two AI superpowers, compared — pay, companies, jobs, hiring and take-home. Salaries converted at ~7.2 CNY/USD for comparison.
AI jobs in China vs the US is the defining geographic comparison of this industry, and this page quantifies it. Median total compensation for AI roles sits side by side for both countries, with role-by-role bars converted to US dollars for comparison, plus counts of tracked companies and structured jobs in each market.
Nominal AI salary in China runs well below US levels, but the page is careful about the fine print: purchasing power narrows the gap, take-home rules differ, and so does the hiring process — China's bǐshì written test versus the US system-design loop. City hubs, foreigner-fit notes and unique market factors round out both sides.
Explore: Global markets · China workplace culture · Company pay explorer
Median total comp by role (converted to USD)
Nominal USD gap is large; on purchasing-power terms the gap narrows considerably.
🇺🇸 US market
- Top hubs: SF Bay Area, Seattle, NYC
- Highest pay: SF Bay Area
- Best value: Seattle (no state income tax)
- Entry barrier: H-1B visa lottery
🇨🇳 China market
- Top hubs: 北京, 深圳, 上海, 杭州
- Avg salary: ¥250000-600000
- For foreigners: 深圳(落户容易) or 上海(国际化)
- Unique: 户口政策 · 五险一金 · 996工作制
🎤 Hiring process
🇨🇳 中国有笔试, 更重算法, 流程更快(3-5周 vs 6-10周)
🇺🇸 6-10 weeks, no coding test, heavy system-design & behavioral.
💸 Take-home
🇺🇸 70-75% (高收入, 加州)
🇨🇳 68-72% (高收入)
中国五险一金强制, 美国401k可选