"A girl I know in Shenzhen earns 3,000 rmb a month and lives 4 to a room as a graduate"

And I'm sure there's someone from Liberia living in Xiao Bei who earns 1500RMB a month and shares a 30 Meter apartment with 5 others. What does that have to do with standards of pay in the world of ESL in a first tier city in China?

"Steak every night"

Dramatic much???

11,000 RMB in 2013 in Guangzhou is a shit salary, period. However, if you enjoy getting paid less than average teacher, far be it from me to get in your way.

Do you enjoy proving you can survive on less?

Hey, why not make it 5 in a unairconditioned room in Shenzhen? You can cook chicken feet in the shared rice cooker and drink warm water - you know you can save on electricity if you don't plug in the water cooler;)