Purpose: This study aims to understand the quality of life (QOL) among Sub-Saharan African (SSA) migrants and explore the factors that contribute to and shape SSA migrants’ QOL and shed light on how post-migration factors affect their QOL in China. Methods: We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey on QOL of SSA migrants in China from August, 2019 to November, 2019. We recruited SSA migrants using a combination of peer-referred online and offline surveys. The WHOQOL-BREF scale assessed the QOL of participants, and depressive symptoms were measured using Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale. Correlates of well-being including depressive symptoms, migration-related factors, and socio-demographic characteristics were included in hierarchical linear regression models to explore the contributions of these factors on QOL of SSA migrants. Results: This study included 928 eligible SSA migrants. The total score of the WHOQOL-BREF scale was 66.8 ± 14.0. Attitudes of local people toward SSA migrants (β = 3.1, 95% CI 2.4, 3.0) and satisfaction with their living conditions (β = 3.6, 95% CI 2.5, 4.7) were positively associated with QOL and explained 12.2% of the variance. Contracting an infectious disease in the past year (β = − 5.3, 95% CI − 7.6, − 2.9) and depression werenegatively associated with QOL (β = − 0.7, 95% CI − 0.7, − 0.6) and explained 24.4% of the variance. Conclusion: Our study underscores the importance of several key factors that may aid in the improvement of QOL among SSA migrants. Post-migration environmental factors emerged as key correlates of QOL, which builds on previous evidence that the post-migration context should be improved to safeguard the well-being of SSA migrants in China.