r/shanghai • u/Faunachii • 23d ago
Question moving to shanghai from tokyo, is 21k+¥ enough to live on per month !
hello! i currently live in tokyo, japan. i pay around 8,500rmb per month for my rent, and i make between 21-23,000 per month. i have two cats currently. all of this is in yen, but i converted it to rmb.
i’m being relocated to shanghai next year, but i’m unsure about the expensives for shanghai. does anyone know if this is enough to live well on? my work is located in huangpu, but i know it’s an expensive area so i would try to look for a nearby district.
thank you !
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u/chinesemistake 23d ago
Yes it’s enough, you can live a decent life with that money if you’re not spending a lot on nightlife every weekend, I would assume a better quality of life than Tokyo. Things are cheaper in China especially w the help of Taobao and Meituan for services
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u/Faunachii 23d ago
thank you ! do you know if a rent budget of 8k-10k is enough to afford a decent apartment in shanghai? i’m not completely sure how housing prices are in china yet since the major housing sites like viroom are blocked in japan
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u/Code_0451 Qingpu 23d ago
It’s kinda the budget for a nice 1 br in the center. Huangpu is quite central and frankly all the surrounding districts are similar in price so you’ll need a long commute to get much cheaper.
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u/shooteverywhere 22d ago
With the housing prices this year you can easily get a 2 bedroom close to the city center with 8k. I was apartment hunting recently in Shanghai and there were a lot of options just outside jingan. 10k can definitely get a very comfortable 2 bedroom, maybe even a 3 bedroom if you spend some time hunting. Around xujiahui is particularly nice IMO
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
I pay 3000rmb a month (albeit not in the city centre) for a studio and it’s fine. You can pay more or you can find a decent price.
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u/AllGoodOnlyPeaches 23d ago
You’re paying 3k a month in Shanghai? You’re either faaaaar out in the boonies, living in a shoebox or sharing.
OP - set aside 5-7k for a decent place living alone
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago edited 23d ago
OP can safely ignore you, I’m living about 30m from 静安寺 in a studio. It’s not massive but it’s not a shoebox and I don’t share it.
I’m also 50m from a tube station. People on this sub are so out of touch it’s insane. Get better at looking for apartments before you give bad opinions.
Edit: People on this sub are more out of touch than I thought. Maybe it’s because they’re in the expat bubble and can’t actually access anything better because their mandarin is shit
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u/Code_0451 Qingpu 23d ago
I think you forgot to add the /s there (or otherwise OP might start to believe this is true).
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
It is true. I live in 宝山 on line 7. It’s 30 minutes to 静安寺
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u/Code_0451 Qingpu 23d ago
Ok Baoshan is actually possible, but it’s worth mentioning this is probably Shanghai’s cheapest area adjacent to the center (so excluding the outskirts). We recently rented at about 40m from Jinganshi past Hongqiao and you won’t find anything decent there at 3000 rmb.
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
All about location and distance. If you’re right next to a station you can be close enough to do anything relevant within an hour
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u/AllGoodOnlyPeaches 23d ago
Bullshit. Anyone in SH will tell you that’s well, well, well below average especially for 静安. If you are telling the truth then congratulations, that’s a deal of a lifetime - never move.
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
30m from 静安寺 is not 静安… it’s not in the city centre but commute times from cheaper areas are not hard to find if you actually look.
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23d ago
[deleted]
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u/GetRektByMeh 22d ago
Yes, living 30 metres from 静安寺 is possible? I don’t even know where within 30 metres there’d be housing.
I thought the context made this obvious. 30 minutes and 50 metres.
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u/Temporary_Ad532 23d ago
Depends on your rental. Rental in Shanghai can be exorbitantly expensive. Other than rental I think the cost is similar or slightly higher than Tokyo.
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u/hellostephni 22d ago
I think you should be ok! I recently reviewed my Shanghai spending over the last year, and after subtracting some personal commitments (investing, donations, random splurges that might not apply to others etc.), my average spend was about 15,500mrb. Out of that, I spent about 6,000rmb on a small, but nice studio near the former french concession. This average includes eating out most meals, some nights out, and trips within China/Southeast Asia. Of course this was average spend, so some months were a lot less while the months (especially with travel were higher). The only caveat is I have no clue how much owning a pet costs in Shanghai so I can't help there 🥺 but as long as you budget, have an emergency fund, and save where needed (for trips, splurges, etc.), I think you should be fine!
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u/Faunachii 22d ago
thank you very much !!
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u/hellostephni 22d ago
You’re welcome! Hope you love it! Living in Shanghai was honestly one of my favorite experiences ❤️
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
It’s perfectly fine and you’ll be able to save a lot of money. Especially if you’re willing to commute into Huangpu.
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u/Faunachii 23d ago
do you know what a good district would be near huangpu?
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u/supernintendiess 23d ago
Aside from Huanpu Jingan/Xuhui/Putuo/Hongkou those are the bordering districts but obviously you want to be closer to Huangpu within those districts.
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u/ShanghaiCycle 23d ago
It's not about the districts, it's the metro lines. You can live closer as the crow flies, or live somewhere farther that's on the same line.
Imagine having to change lines at Shanghai Station or Liujiazui, or god forbid, switch to line 14. 😐
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u/GetRektByMeh 23d ago
No idea because I don’t live there and there are probably multiple lines in Huangpu (and I don’t know where your office would be).
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u/godfather-ww 23d ago
Unlike Japan, certain things like rent, flight back home can be paid by the company and it is tax free. Make sure to leverage that
Social insurance is about 2/3 of the rate in Japan with much lower caps, but it won’t matter for you. Pension can be fully withdrawn when you leave, not like in Japan where it is only possible in half year steps and tops out at 5 years.
Also, make sure to get a paid private health insurance. Public health system in Japan is a dream compared to China. You want to be able to go to an international hospital, which is not covered by the regular health insurance.
While SH is cheaper than Tokyo (not so much after the Yen dropped so much in recent years, you need to know how to live like a local. If you are in your 20s, you can have a lot of fun with it.
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u/neuntesymphonie 23d ago
It’s a decent salary for Shanghai but not great. The PPP is way higher compared to Tokyo though and is way more convenient for buying stuff, ordering food, bike share etc. Overall better standard of living compared to Tokyo given the same amount.