Accommodation for Long Term Employment

[Touchstone57]

Hello there,

Would just like to ask a little advice.

I was recently offered a job in Shanghai, (yay!),

How much, generally, would you expect to pay for a one bedroom flat, complete with kitchen, bathroom and living room?

I don't expect an exact number, just a general idea of what I would need to pay for this. I will be working just East of the Yangtze river, around the Nanjing district area, so preferably somewhere near hear.

I've looked at some different sites but I don't know how accurate and reflective they are. I will be on a salary of around 12,000 to 15,000 RMB per month. Is this a reasonable salary to live on, i.e Will I be able to make some savings, bearing in mind I will be living with my life.

Thanks!

[amandagmu]

I don't know the specifics of the Shanghai market at the moment, but in 2010 a salary of 12,000-15,000 RMB per month would not be enough to live alone in any of the nicer or more central parts of the city itself. AFAIK the rent at that time was 6000-8000 RMB for a nice one bedroom, although certainly if you were willing to live in a not-so-central location, with a not-so-nice apartment, or entertained the idea of a roommate, you would probably get something better. Either way, if you want a one-bedroom that's half-decent, you will not be able to save much on that salary. From what I remember, groceries and eating out was not cheap. Shanghai is expensive these days.

[HedgePig]

I also don't know the specifics of the Shanghai market and I don't know your expectations but I agree with amandagmu that this doesn't sound like a salary that would allow you to live very comfortably alone in one of the nicer parts of the city. I'm sure you could survive on it but unless you are prepared to live a "local" lifestyle and largely forego imported luxuries essentials, I don't think you'll have much over to save. On the other hand, that amount isn't a pittance and one always hears of foreigners claiming to survive well on 3k per month.

By the way, I'm not sure where you are looking to live in Shanghai. As far as I know, there isn't a Nanjing district here and Shanghai is all west of the Yangtze river (except for the large bits that are actually in it.). If you will be living outside Shanghai, I think that many will go much further - and there won't be as many "essentials" to tempts you.

[roddy]

On that salary range, I'd say "nice central apartment; lots of eating and drinking out; saving money - pick any two."

"bearing in mind I will be living with my life."

Do you mean wife?

[Touchstone57]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Sorry, I did mean wife - bear in mind that my wife is Chinese and will be able to get a job in Shanghai (her family has good guanxi)!

I don't expect to live like a King in Shanghai, I am more interested in a reasonable living space than a lavish lifestyle. Whilst I won't be able to live a completely local lifestyle, I can have a good go. Right now I mostly eat Chinese food six days a week, as my wife is an excellent cook and I've grown quite used to it, because its much cheaper to cook in that style here (UK) as well as quicker.

There are perhaps a few imported things I would want but on the whole I think I can manage without them. I've stayed in China for a bit before and a fair few other countries - I know people in the expat community are quite partial to eating out and drinking a lot. Whilst I enjoy eating it out I will try to keep a good balance. My aim is not to live as an Englishman in another country but to do the opposite! Whether I achieve it or not is a different matter!

My main hope was to have a normal apartment and put additional money towards Chinese lessons! Not in a central location but not extremely far out.

[Hro]

If you want a comfortable livestyle you need at least 20,000 RMB. Don't spend more than 5,000/6,000 RMB for a pretty good apartment in places like Putuo or Pudong. Other more central areas can be very expensive.

[amandagmu]

Hmmm... I guess the main thing that will cost you then will be the so-called "normal" apartment. I found that there is a huge gap between some local Chinese standards and my standards of what is considered "normal." I am not keen on things falling apart constantly and I would like things to be clean. I also appreciate the reliability of things like electricity, steaming hot water for showers, a proper kitchen, and clean air in the apartment (purifier). All of those cost me when I had my studio in Beijing, and same thing for a friend of mine in Shanghai. For less than half the cost I could have stayed in a place where every time something broke I had to call and complain (it happened a lot), water pipes sometimes froze or burst, hot water would sporadically be turned off at the drop of a hat, etc. These can happen anywhere, but they were far and fewer in between when I paid for a nicer place with property management that actually functioned half decently. So, it all depends on how "local" you want to go.

[Touchstone57]

Just thought I would update this with what I managed to find in Shanghai. I managed to get a two bedroomed flat for 4000 RMB per month. Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen and balcony, all newly decorated and furnished, and what (seems) to be a good landlord. I'm not sure if the advice given on here was incorrect, or it was because my wife handled getting this property, but it was much better than I was expecting to get.

[roddy]

Thanks for the follow up. If you could manage a post in here with some more info, that'd be very helpful. Glad you're suitably accommodated.

[amandagmu]

Just thought I would update this with what I managed to find in Shanghai. I managed to get a two bedroomed flat for 4000 RMB per month. Two bedrooms, living room, kitchen and balcony, all newly decorated and furnished, and what (seems) to be a good landlord. I'm not sure if the advice given on here was incorrect, or it was because my wife handled getting this property, but it was much better than I was expecting to get.

To be honest, I don't really think you've given enough information to determine whether or not you got a good deal - I mean, it sounds like it at first glance, but I'd like to know 1) where (what area) you found such a deal and 2) what exactly you agreed on for leasing terms. Many foreigners - myself included - wouldn't be willing to, or can't, for example, sign on to a lease longer than a year. This is related to your hunch about your wife. Many foreigners can't sign for longer due to visa/job/study situation and the person renting to you knows that. And how do they know you'll pay rent if your visa is up, or if you don't tied your rent to a bank account? My rent was not tied to any bank account when I lived there; I handed cash and got a receipt each month. I imagine that if Shanghai landlords are anything like where I'm living now (Berlin) then I know you can get a better deal if you tie things to a bank account or are a local who isn't leaving anytime soon (and in my case, married to an EU citizen, won't need to leave).

But alas, unless I've missed something, we really don't know where in Shanghai you moved to! Care to fill us in?

[icebear]

I agree with amandagmu, although I think more important that long term conditions is that fact that a native Chinese speaker found and negotiated the lease. Of course plenty of Chinese are not too savvy with rentals - but being a foreigner with limited Chinese severely increases that chance of falling into that camp. Most foreigners, especially those without decent language skills, can't be bothered searching for the good deals - for them its worth the extra money to get something faster at a good quality.