Districts & Rents In Beijing

[muellhalde24]

we will be moving to BJ by the end of July and therefore are looking for a place to live. By now, I was able to acquire some basic info on the districts, subway lines, rents etc. I read about rents ranging from 2000kuai - 20000kuai per month for a 2 bedroom 1 hall flat. What we are looking for is a 2 bedroom flat around 2000kuai - 3000kuai. So now my questions are, first of all, is this price range rather too low? We arent looking for something fancy cause we wont be at home most of the time anyway. And regarding this 2k - 3k price range, which districts come into question? Which ones are known for having rather high rents and where can one expect lower priced flats?

I hope anyone familiar with BJ and its neighbourhoods can help!

[roddy]

Beijing is so big that you need to know where you are going to be working or studying before you decide where to live.

[gougou]

Beijing districts are rather large, too, so if your standards aren't too high (and going by your nickname, I assume they aren't...) you'll be able to find flats in that price range in each of the districts - as long as you stay away from agents catering to foreigners.

[muellhalde24]

Hi, thanks first!

The problem is that I'll be at Beida studying whereas my gf will be working in Chaoyang near Worker's Stadium. We want to find a flat near subway line 10, maybe around "Anzhenmen", but to speak the truth, I've absolutely no idea, it's all theoretical...dont know nothing about Anzhenmen. And yes, we definitely have low standards, water, light, heating in winter, cool.

Do you think this is a reasonable idea? And what exactly do you mean by saying "avoid agents catering to foreigners"? I never was that good in disguising my outer appearence ^^. The plan was, shortly after arrival, to walk into a shop of a real estate agent somewhere and then ask. Bad idea?

Thanks again!! 谢谢

[gougou]

Do you think this is a reasonable idea? And what exactly do you mean by saying "avoid agents catering to foreigners"? I never was that good in disguising my outer appearence ^^. The plan was, shortly after arrival, to walk into a shop of a real estate agent somewhere and then ask. Bad idea?

No, I meant avoiding those that cater exclusively to foreigners (such as the ones advertising in the Beijinger). Walking into a shop generally is the fastest way to get something, even though of course it means you'll have to pay commission (generally one month in Beijing). You could consider living close to the University of International Business and Economics, which is not far from Anzhenqiao and has quite some apartments around for students. I used to live in Shaoyaoju myself when I just came to Beijing, which had a stop for subway line 13 back then already and now also for line 10.