I don't need a lot of server resources for the proxy. So the cheapest server is more then enough. The real issue is getting good latency & bandwidth to sites outside of China.

What I am paying for good latency & bandwidth on that server is cheap compared to other providers.

Hong Kong is very close to me (Guangzhou), so latency is low (around 9-10ms).

Here is the latency I am seeing right now:

1. Ping to DigitalOcean VPS server in San Franciso: 270ms

2. Ping to 36cloud.com VPS server: 10ms

3. Ping from 36cloud VPS to DigitalOcean VPS: 160ms

4. Proxy running on DigitalOcean VPS server in San Franciso: 274ms, DL: 3Mbits, UL: 4Mbits

5. Proxy running on 36cloud.com VPS server: 178ms, DL: 8Mbits, UL: 5Mbits

The last two are from using speedtest.net with the same speedtest server in SF. So the VPS in HK save me almost 100ms of latency. which greatly improves browsing speed.