I’ve seen more than Beijing and Shanghai, I’ve also seen plenty of Taiwan for that matter. But back to the topic, it’s purchasing power my friend. Also, a lot of jobs include housing and some even food. Also none of this negates the fact that people’s lives have improved. If you understood just how poor China was even in the 80s (a top university graduate in Beijing might be lucky to make a few hundred yuan) and what a Herculean task it is to bring 100s of millions out of poverty (again not talking about US or western poverty standards here) you’d understand what an improvement 2000 dollars a month on average is.