Rental Accommodation in Beijing - how much??

[maxham]

Hi everyone,

I'm just wondering roughly what I would be looking at to rent an apartment in Beijing. In 2001/02, a friend and I shared at 2-bedroom flat in Dong wang zhuang (Wudaokou) for RMB2200 per month. I remember that being quite a good deal - I think most friends were paying around RMB3000 for similar things.

Anyone got any info on what the rental market is like these days? I know this is a very general question - so many variables (location, size etc) but I'm just trying to work out a [very rough budget for a year in Beijing. I'm not after anything fancy or ultra-modern - just the average Beijing apartment in a reasonably accessible area.

Any input greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[Jizzosh]

I pay a little more than average I'm sure. For me, I decided to do a homestay-type thing, just until I get more comfortable with the city and language. So I have a roommate and I live out by the old Summer palace in a very nice and very large apartment. She asked me to cover 2400RMB a month. That includes my own big bedroom, my own office, use of the kitchen, dining, living, and laundry rooms. ...and all utilities. As I said, more expensive than average probably, but for me it was more comfortable to have someone who was native to help me along for the first couple of months. Perhaps I'll change my mind in a few weeks, but so far it's working out really well.

Hope that helps..

[Wayne.liao]

Hi Jizzosh:

I am interest in sharing acommodation, can you advise me how to go about in finding a reputable family or agency for this type of acommodation. I will be in Beijing on Mar 3, 05

[Jizzosh]

I searched the internet and found a site that let people advertise. It was a big risk because my roommate could have been a lying manipulating psycho, but everything luckily turned out well. I would say that there are a couple of possibilities, one would be to check out the homestay websites and see if there are prices and people that sound good to you (make sure that you can at least get an idea of the person through email... my roommate and I corresponded for a couple months before I got here), the other would be to come here and get a Chinese roommate (many want to live with a Westerner so they can practice their English more often).

Those are two immediate possibilities. I can talk to my roommate and see if she knows anyone that wants to have a Western flatmate or guest... How long will you be here in Beijing, and where will you be studying/working. (many people may not live close to the schools). Also, perhaps PM me a little more info like age, background, kinda people you want to live with or normally associate with. That way if my roommate does know someone, it won't be someone who wants a professional older gentlemen when you're a party-going college student, or vice-versa..

Finally, Roddy has posted somewhere on here, a link to some great apartment places, and I know that once you start class, (if that's what you're coming for) You'll meet many people who also will need a place, both Western, native, and even some Japanese/Korean, etc. Just a couple options to think about..

[aeon]

We're in a 2 bedroom flat about 200m away from Wudaokou Subway station (not in Huaqingjiayuan) which costs us 2400RMB pcm. It's basic, but comfortable enough. We saved a lot of money organising it ourselves.