One of the most influential cities in China, Shanghai is a bustling and sprawling metropolis that offers expats a fusion of East and West, old and new. Still, as with any city in the world, there are pros and cons to living in Shanghai. Here are a few things for expats to consider before making the leap. Buildings in Shanghai generally expand vertically rather than horizontally. However, there are a variety of housing types to choose from and expats should be able to find something to their liking. Shanghai is mostly dominated by apartment-style housing, but there are also numerous villa compounds. Of course, one may also find a combination of the two in the form of a penthouse. It is convenient that many landlords offer fully furnished accommodation, and most compounds will have some sort of clubhouse or small store nearby. Housing prices in Shanghai have skyrocketed over the years. Sometimes, even low-quality housing will be extremely pricey if it’s in a central area or suburb. Similarly, villas might be less affordable and are usually located in more secluded areas due to the need for greater amounts of space. Often, one has to compromise between location, pricing and quality of housing. It’s very easy to get out and about in Shanghai. From its rich cultural history and sightseeing opportunitiesto its bustling nightlife, expats can always find interesting things to see and do in and around the city. From art shows to music festivals, there will always be some sort of event going on in Shanghai. Expats can explore the city, taking a stroll down Nanjing Pedestrian Streetor make their way around the French Concession. At night, one can visit the Bund area for a beautiful view of the Huangpu Riverand choose to dine at high-class restaurants or on delicious street food. It’s extremely easy to get around the city. With multiple subway lines, a plethora of bus routesand a never-ending stream of taxis, expats shouldn’t have a problem getting from one place to the next. With a personal driver, these commutes will be made even more convenient. Of course, for shorter distances, one can always cycleor walk. During rush hour, navigating through the city may seem almost impossible; it might take a two-hour taxi ride to cover a 30-minute commute. While the metro is probably the most reliable time-wise, commuters can be caught in a never-ending stream of people. The weather in Shanghai is often quite extreme. Sweltering heat and humidity in the summertime keep people indoors for the most part, and winters can be quite harsh and dry. However, keep in mind that when it’s hot out, most buildings and the subway are kept at extremely cool temperatures, and vice versa in the winter. Shanghai is a place with low levels of crime, and expats will rarely hear of any major crimes being committed. This means that walking around in the evenings is relatively safe. Drivers and pedestrians alike don’t like to abide by the law if they can help it. Running red lights and jaywalking are not uncommon. In crowded areas, carelessness may cost one a phone or wallet. So, while Shanghai is fairly safe, we advise expats to take the usual precautions. Most people are sent to Shanghai for work, and many companies offer to cover housing each month, provide a driveror food reimbursem*nts. Being paid in a different currency may also mean being able to afford many more commodities than the locals. It can be quite frustrating to deal with the language barrier in the workplace and aspects of business culture may also be difficult to understand, but there are also often bilingual employees to assist with this. In some businesses, having personal relationships may be beneficial, butone may see instances of nepotism or someone pulling strings. Many expat families have full-time drivers and ayis. Ayis are like maids who often cook, clean and babysit. There may be varying viewpoints of this aspect of life here. Expat communities in Shanghai are usually quite welcoming and it's possible to even make friends with local Chinese neighbours. While the Chinese don’t habitually smile at strangers, foreigners are generally treated with respect. People have a tendency tonot abide by traffic lawsand cut into queues. Littering in the streets is quite common as well. New arrivals will also see beggars in wealthy parts of the city and people selling everything from pirated DVDs to jewellery on the streets. The cost of living in Shanghai is high, but with a bit of research and budgeting, expats will be able to score some serious bargains. From clothes to food, buying things that are produced locally could actually turn out to be quite a bargain. It’s also common to haggle for lower prices at fabric or farmers markets. Expats used to brand-name goods, however, should be prepared to pay high import taxes. One may also be hard pressed to find reasonable prices when it comes to items like avocados and cherries, which seem to be rarer in China. Pretty much all expats will enrol their children in an international school. These schools offer curricula such as that of the USA or the UK, and some are religiously affiliated. Each international school is different, but they all employ highly-qualified instructors. The curriculum itself is also on par with any other private school. Thanks to chargingsizeable tuitions, international schools offer their students top-notch facilities, from high-grade science labs to expansive sports fields. Many schools are also adopting a more technology-based education that involves personal computers for each student. Depending on where one lives and where the school is located, the commute could take a very long time. Most students will take a bus to school, but those in more centralised areas may be able to walk. Often, students who live further away will find themselves stuck in traffic when trying to get home if they participate in after-school activities. In Shanghai, the better insurance one has, the better service and benefits they will receive. Those who have international health insurance provided by an employer will be able to bypass most queues and many hospitals even offer a ward especially for foreigners. Fewer people see these doctors, which means they can devote more time to each patient. Bypassing queues could mean paying several times more for a checkup than locals do. This may or may not affect an expat, depending on the level of healthcareinsurancetheir employer offers. If expats buy their own health cover, it will be much more expensive.Accommodation in Shanghai
+ PRO: Variety and convenience in the property market
- CON: Difficult balance between pricing and location
Lifestyle in Shanghai
+ PRO: Variety of activities
+ PRO: Travelling around the city is easy
- CON: Rush-hour traffic can be chaotic
- CON: Weather
Safety in Shanghai
+ PRO: Little to no crime
- CON: Reckless behaviour on the streets and pickpocketing
Working and doing business in Shanghai
+ PRO: Great work benefits
- CON: Language and ideological barriers
Culture shock in Shanghai
+ PRO: Welcoming expat community
- CON: Chaotic environment
Cost of living in Shanghai
+ PRO: Cheap local goods
- CON: Imported goods are expensive
Education and schools in Shanghai
+ PRO: Great education and facilities
- CON: Long commutes to school
Healthcare in Shanghai
+ PRO: High-quality private healthcare
- CON: Expensive
FAQs
What are the negatives of living in Shanghai? ›
- CON: Reckless behaviour on the streets and pickpocketing
Running red lights and jaywalking are not uncommon. In crowded areas, carelessness may cost one a phone or wallet. So, while Shanghai is fairly safe, we advise expats to take the usual precautions.
Personal Safety. Shanghai is a very safe place to live as an expat. It was ranked one of the safest cities in China because of its low crime rates. While most crimes are limited to pick-pocketing and minor thefts on public transport, expats are advised to keep to well-lit areas of the city at night.
Is Shanghai foreigner friendly? ›New arrivals in Shanghai, however, will find a large expat community, where they can likely meet others from their home country and culture. Most Chinese people also tend to be friendly and welcoming to foreigners.
What are the benefits of living in Shanghai? ›Its diverse population makes it an attractive location for those seeking to broaden their horizons by living abroad. For foreigners living in Shanghai, there is no shortage of ways to learn about and experience Chinese history, art, and food by socializing with locals, going to events, and exploring the city.
What are 3 problems in Shanghai? ›As air pollution, energy shortage, transportation congestion and poor water quality are the major three hindrances to the sustainable development of Shanghai, these will be the major concerns of this thesis.
What are social problems in Shanghai? ›With the 25 million people that live in Shanghai with such little space can cause lack housing which leads to homelessness and poverty, public transportation like buses to get more busier, harder and longer for emergency personnel to drive to destinations due to traffic, schools to be overcrowded and have not enough ...
What is a good salary to live comfortably in Shanghai? ›Of course, higher paying jobs in Shanghai will require larger salaries, but for most people 18,000 RMB is a good starting point. So long as you are able to budget correctly, this amount of money should be enough to cover all the necessary expenses in Shanghai and even allow you to save up for the occasional luxury.
How much do you need to live comfortably in Shanghai? ›The average cost of living for one person in Shanghai is $1,379 a month vs. in New York City it is $3,723 a month. A family in Shanghai on average spends about $4,064 a month on living expenses, while a family in New York City spends about $8,021 a month.
Why are people moving to Shanghai? ›The industrial development and employment opportunities brought by migrants are the most important reason to attract people to Shanghai.
Can you speak English in Shanghai? ›Shanghai is English most spoken in China , of English speakers in China with about 24 million people especially among the younger generation.
How many Americans live in Shanghai? ›
Country of Origin | Population (2012) | Population (2017) |
---|---|---|
United States | 26,000 | 21,903 |
South Korea | 20,456 | 20,823 |
France | 9,472 | 8,659 |
Germany | 8,680 | 7,583 |
The short answer is yes. Even if you don't speak Chinese, it might be a benefit in certain situations.
Is it cheaper to live in China or us? ›On average, China's cost of living is 45% lower than the U.S according to Numbeo. Rent in China is 60% lower than the U.S. on average. But the cost of items like cars and private school tuition are actually very similar.
Is Shanghai cheap to live? ›While the cost of living in Shanghai is relatively high, the city provides a wide range of options to accommodate the needs of individuals with varying financial capacities.
Does Shanghai have lots of job opportunities? ›Shanghai has a large number of jobs for individuals looking for work. There are a number of different types of jobs in the city. The most common type of jobs in Shanghai are white collar and blue collar. White collar jobs include sales, marketing, management, and leadership positions.
What are the negatives of urbanization in Shanghai? ›With rapid urban sprawl, a large amount of cultivated lands has been replaced with building lands around urban areas and towns of Shanghai. Urbanization is correlated with the increase of air temperature, hot days and the decrease of relative humidity, wind speed and vegetation NDVI in Shanghai.
What is the problem in Shanghai in the future? ›Experts predict that Shanghai's population will grow from 27 to 34 million by 2050. This population growth will increase pressure on both resources and the environment during the period that the city is putting its urban development plans into place.
Is Shanghai at risk for natural disasters? ›Coupled with factors of human (population exposure and property exposure) and environmental (low-lying land, land subsidence issues, the threat of sea-level rise, frequent typhoons, and extreme precipitation) relationships, Shanghai is ranked as one of the top 20 cities for flooding in the world (Hallegatte et al., ...
How bad is water pollution in Shanghai? ›A report issued by the The Nature Conservancy in 2016 stated that 73 percent of the water catchment areas that supply surface water, which we depend on for daily consumption, to Shanghai and 29 other major Chinese cities were affected by medium to high pollution levels.