Oleg Siniavskii-Zhukov, a Russian retiree, drinks tea with his wife Nadezhda at home in Hunchun, Jilin province. Ding Luyang / China Daily

Hunchun, a small city in Jilin province that borders Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, has had more than 200 retired Russians move there in the past decade, and more look set to join them.

Aleksand, 60, came to Hunchun with her husband four years ago for a vacation. She said that the weather and environment, as well as the goods available in the shops, left a deep impression.

"Even with our pensions, we can have a much better life than we can in Russia," she said.

The couple owned a 43-square-km apartment in Vladivostok, where six people lived, but the maintenance fees of 3,000 to 4,000 roubles ($88 to $118) per month in summer and 6,000 to 7,000 in winter were prohibitive.

"Maintenance was troublesome. It usually takes days for people to come and fix any problems," she said. "But here in Hunchun, a call immediately brings the repairman."

Pensions in Russia of 6,000 to 15,000 roubles per month barely cover living expenses, so the couple were forced to take part-time jobs.

However, with lower property prices and living exepenses in Hunchun, the couple are able to make ends meet without working.

"We can live quite well on our pension here," she said.

Their living expenses in Hunchun are about 2,500 to 3,000 yuan ($413 to $496) per month for the family.

Nor is communication a problem.