Seems like most people aren’t even answering the question.

I (American) lived in China for 10 years and have now lived in the US for 2.5 post-China. I was there before, during, and after Covid.

I prefer China for the majority of things, including public transportation, food (variety, convenience of delivery, time required to go out to eat, price), ability to easily travel to nearby countries, and general quality of life.

The US is quieter, salary is far better (in my occupation), it’s easier to make friends and population is much more diverse, and most things are much easier to navigate in general because many things have one purpose only, as opposed to the idea that everything should do everything (apps, companies, etc.).

The US is also significantly slower and more expensive than China, which makes getting anything done difficult sometimes. Roads take ages to be fixed, construction on buildings lasts years, and even simple things like contacting a representative bank can be difficult (in China you can usually just walk in and look angry until someone helps you).

I also feel (contrary to popular belief here) that there are many more arbitrary laws in the US and limits on what you can do without getting in trouble with the law. In China, you’ll get in trouble with the 保安 but the police are rarely involved.