Why are more and more foreign students...,

[Silverobama]

- Why are more and more foreign students choosing to study in Chongqing in recent years?
- Maybe it's cheaper to live in Chongqing. It costs less to eat and to rent a flat and the city has relatively few people, so it's not crowded. Also, the city's economy is improving, which means that people have more opportunities to find a good job.

My friend asked me the question and I provided an answer. Please help me with a natural version.

 

[emsr2d2]

- Why are have more and more foreign students been choosing to study in Chongqing in recent years?

The use of "in recent years" means you need to use the present perfect.

- Maybe it's cheaper to live in Chongqing. It costs less to eat and to rent a flat and the city has relatively few people, so it's not crowded. Also, the city's economy is improving, which means that people have more opportunities to find a good job.

Grammatically, it's OK but it begs the questions "Cheaper than where?" and "It costs less to eat than where?" You've used two comparatives but not compared Chongqing with anywhere else.

My friend asked me the question and I provided an answer. Please help me with a natural version of the question and answer above.

 

[Silverobama]

Much appreciated. You're absolutely, emsr2d2. I've been thinking about this and wrote something new, I think this version is much better, please take a look at it when you're not busy. I used your corrections of the question and made some changes after reading your suggestions.

– Why have more and more foreign students been choosing to study in Chongqing in recent years?

–It's much cheaper to live in Chongqing than to those thriving cities like Beijing or Shanghai. The cost of food and rent and living expenses are super higher in those thriving cities. The city is also relatively uncrowded. Meanwhile, the city's economy is improving, which means that there are more opportunities to find a good job.

I think the italic version is clearer but very redundant. Please enlighten me.