Baoding

I like Baoding and think it is an underrated city in China. I have stayed there visiting in-laws for a few weeks at a time. While, unlike Beijing, you will probably never encounter a single English speaker, you can experience a very similar lifestyle as Beijing at a fraction of the cost. Baoding has a great shopping mall (Wanbo Square) that has any kind of food you could want. Realistically, you could stay in a great hotel for somewhat cheap for a couple months at a time. You could also choose to stay in an AirBnb as many of the apartments are relatively new and clean on the inside-- but as with all individual lodgings, as with all private residences in China, as a foreigner you MUST register with the local police within a day of arrival. I've never experienced any trouble with Baoding law enforcement while registering. If you want to experience unique parts of Beijing, traveling over to Beijing is extremely cheap-- less than $10 USD for the high speed rail.

tldr: comparatively inexpensive and good quality life, some grasp of Chinese is a must, follow local laws.