Qingyang, a city reportChina , population 2.21 million , index 5.1 of 10

Qingyang in 200 words.

Qingyang scored 5.1 on the everycity index in 2026, a tier two interior placement that reflects a low cost base, a high safety read, and a thin layer of international amenities. The headline numbers: rent on a one bedroom in the Xifeng core runs 1,400 yuan (195 dollars), the monthly all in cost lands at 540 dollars for a single resident, the income tax position is 45 percent at the top marginal band, and the safety score is 7.5 on the same 10 point scale we apply to Shanghai, Beijing, and Lanzhou.

The case for Qingyang lives in two industries and one geography: the Changqing oilfield, China's largest onshore oil and gas field, which anchors the regional engineering job market; the agricultural and herbal medicine belt of eastern Gansu, where apples and medicinal herbs are the cash crops; and the Loess Plateau itself, the deep wind blown soil that shaped the cave dwelling heritage and the local opera. For the comparison view, start with Chengdu vs Singapore or Bangkok vs Chengdu.

The data feeding this report comes from our methodology page, with primary sources at the bottom. Numbers are May 2026 unless stated. Currency is the yuan with USD conversion in parentheses where useful. The next refresh ships in August 2026.

For new readers: if you only want the headline figure, the city score generator returns the index with custom weights in 30 seconds. For the country level overview, China places Qingyang on the national table; for the regional view, Asia places it alongside Xian, Lanzhou, and Chengdu.

Set expectations on the international layer before the move. Qingyang is a Chinese working city, not an expatriate hub; the foreign resident count is small, English is rare outside the largest hotels and the oilfield offices, and the daily texture of life is local. The upside is a cost base that lets a modest salary go far; the downside is that almost everything, from a lease to a hospital visit, runs in Mandarin.

A 10 point read on streets, day and night.

Qingyang scored 7.5 overall. The interior small city profile is the upside of the placement.

Compared with the rest of the index, Qingyang at 7.5 ranks against Beijing, Lanzhou at 7.4, and well below Singapore at 9.5 on the same scale. Violent crime is rare, the property crime profile is low, and the daytime read for solo residents is strong at 7.7; the after dark figure of 7.2 reflects thin late hour transport rather than elevated risk. The safest cities ranking places the major Chinese cities mid table to high.

Practical notes: traffic and the mountainous Loess terrain are the realistic daily risks rather than crime. Carry an international policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global for the first six months while local cover is sorted. The solo female safety ranking and family safety ranking show how Qingyang compares on those axes.

One Qingyang specific note: the Loess Plateau terrain shapes the risk map more than crime does. Steep cut roads, seasonal flooding in the gullies, and winter ice on the slopes are the realistic hazards, and emergency response times stretch in the outlying counties. Inside the Xifeng core the picture is closer to any mid sized Chinese city, where the streets are well lit and quiet after dark.

Who pays, and how much the tax takes back.

Salary medians are May 2026, sourced from Glassdoor, the China national statistics office, and OECD wage data. Tax figures are from the official revenue authority.

The major employers in Qingyang are PetroChina Changqing Oilfield, which runs a large share of China's onshore oil and gas output from the Ordos Basin, the regional agricultural and herbal medicine processors, the Qingyang sachet cultural cooperatives, and the public sector. The oilfield engineering roles pay the strongest local salaries at 185,000 yuan for a mid career engineer.

Note on tax: the headline top rate of 45 percent applies above the threshold; lower bands start at 3 percent on the first 36,000 yuan, and social security and health contributions are additional. Read the China visa and tax guide before assuming the headline is the take home, and run a real offer through the tax calculator tool. For benchmarking, the highest paying cities ranking and the cities for tech jobs ranking cover the major destinations.

For the dual income household, the spouse work right depends on the visa class; the spouse visa guide covers the rules. Career mobility for the relocated worker in Qingyang is narrow outside the oil, agriculture, and public sectors, so most international arrivals come tied to a specific employer rather than on spec.

The system, the cost, the wait.

Healthcare scored 6.0 on a 10 point scale. The methodology weights access, cost, and outcomes equally.

Qingyang runs on China's universal basic public health insurance, the Urban Employee scheme for the salaried and the Urban and Rural Resident scheme for the rest, funded mostly by the employer. Out of pocket payment runs 20 to 30 percent on most outpatient services with a per visit cap. The municipal hospitals handle routine care; complex cases route to Lanzhou or Xian, three hours away by high speed rail, where the tertiary hospitals sit.

For new arrivals, pick up an interim policy from SafetyWing or Cigna Global for the gap between arrival and local registration. The expat insurance guide covers the trade off, the best healthcare ranking places Qingyang on the table, and the expat mental health guide covers the realistic access pattern for a smaller interior city, where English speaking specialists are scarce.

Dental, vision, and mental health coverage sit outside the basic insurance, as in most of China, and the specialist depth in Qingyang is thin; many residents bank routine dental and eye care for trips to Xian or Lanzhou. Bring two months of any specialty medication and arrange the switch to a local equivalent on arrival, since the pharmacy network carries the common drugs but not always the specific brand.

Walk, ride, or drive.

Walkability 6.0, transit 5.5, bike 4.6. Car needed: Yes for the surrounding counties.

Qingyang has no metro; the city runs on buses within the Xifeng core and on the road network to the surrounding counties. The Yinchuan to Xian high speed rail line stops at Qingyang, putting Xian inside three hours and Lanzhou inside three hours, which is how most residents reach a major airport. A car is useful for the oilfield sites and the agricultural counties. For relocation scouting and the first weeks, a rental from Discover Cars covers most needs.

Airport access is the variable most travelers underweight. Qingyang Xifeng airport runs domestic links, but international connections route through Xian or Lanzhou. The cities with the best public transport ranking sets Qingyang against the metro cities like Shanghai and Beijing for comparison.

Within the Xifeng core the bus network and a growing ride hailing layer cover most daily trips, and the flat grid of the central district is walkable in the temperate months. Beyond the core, the counties are car country: the oilfield sites, the orchards, and the satellite towns sit on roads rather than rail, and a private vehicle or a company car is close to necessary for anyone working outside the city center.

Internet, visas, and where to plug in.

Median internet speed 150 Mbps. Coworking density: 4 spaces. Nomad visa: none in China; long term residents enter on the Z work visa, the R talent visa, or the Q family route, all sponsored.

The remote work rating for Qingyang reflects solid fiber internet at 150 Mbps from China Telecom and China Unicom, a thin coworking layer of 4 spaces in the Xifeng core, and a time zone that overlaps the rest of Asia and gives a morning window to North America evening. For a privacy layer on local networks, NordVPN remains the cleanest option we have tested. The best cities for remote work ranking covers the full table.

For nomads, the visa story is the constraint: China has no dedicated digital nomad pathway, so a long stay requires employer sponsorship. The nomad visa guide tracks the eligibility and tax triggers across the cities that do offer a pathway, and the best cities for digital nomads ranking keeps the macro view, with Qingyang far down the list for the independent remote worker.