A four-hour commute - on a good day(2)

Zhao Wei (L) waits for 814 bus, Jan 12, 2015. [Photo by Song Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

"I usually take the queue for standing as it takes a shorter time to get on board," says Zhao. "I just want to reach home to be with my family."

Instead of buying a flat in the capital, Zhao rents an 80-square-meter two-bedroom apartment in Yanjiao. Zhao and his wife are both migrant workers but their joint income does not stretch far.

"My daughter is just 19 months old, so my parents live with us so that they can help take care of her in the daytime," says Zhao. "Our budget is very tight."

The apartment the couple rent costs 1,400 yuan ($225) per month. Compared to similar sized accommodation near where Zhao works, it is cheaper by 4,000 yuan or more.

The low cost of living in Yanjiao has attracted many other workers like Zhao. Some rent while many purchase a property there as the price is almost one third of that in Tongzhou, an eastern Beijing suburb, according to real estate broker Tengyun Property Co.

The town now has 600,000 residents, and officials estimate that 150,000 commute between Yanjiao and Beijing each day; some claim the figure is double that.

"Taking a bus is more economical than car sharing if it is not that cramped," says Zhao.

A round-trip only costs 8 yuan using a Beijing public bus card, compared to a 10-yuan single trip by train or shared car.

"My feet often become numb after one-hour standing on the bus, and I feel terrible pain after a while," adds Zhao.

Although he has been living in Yanjiao for two years, Zhao says he has no plans to purchase a flat either in Yanjiao or Beijing, and he is just trying the best he can to be a good breadwinner.

"Even if I earned two million yuan (the amount required for down payment to buy a two-bedroom apartment near the north third ring road of Beijing), I would not definitely buy an apartment in Beijing," says Zhao. "I would move to a second-tier city." He pauses for a while, and adds: "I want to live an easier life, I am just too tired."