Apartment
- Rent a 3BR Furnished Apartment: This assumes you will live in the traditional expat areas — range of 12,000 RMB to 35,000 RMB, depending on your location (which floor; facing the garden) in the building. For a serviced apartment (cleaning and cooking included), add 3,000 to 5,000 RMB per month.
Utility Bills:
- Water: 80 to 100 per month.
- Gas: 90 to 120 per month
- Electricity: 1,200 to 1,500 per month in winter and summer; 800 in the fall and spring.
Food:
- Milk: 15 for a liter
- Butter: 14 for local; 32 for imported
- Eggs: 15.35/dozen
- Bread: 12-16 for a loaf
- Potatoes: 7.5/kilo
- Apples: 15/kilo
- Oranges: 15/kilo
- Tomatoes: 10/kilo
- Coke/Pepsi: 2.50 for .33 liter bottle
Transport:
- Average taxi ride cost: 18 to 40 within Puxi or Pudong
- City transport monthly pass: 220
- Gas pump price (top quality gas): 8.00 per liter
Leisure:
- Cinema ticket: 100
- Opera/ballet ticket: 100 to 800, depends on seat
- Gym membership: 250/month per person; 6-8,000/year per 3-person family.
- Meal for 2 in upmarket restaurant: 300 without drinks
- Meal for 4 in local neighborhood restaurant: 120 without drinks
Miscellaneous:
- Cable TV: 50 to 200 per month, depends on program selection
- Home internet: 150 to 200 per month for fast broadband service
- Mobile phone charge: Around 100 per month, local calls and text messages only
- Landline: 50-90 per month
- 1 month of housekeeping: 1,000 to 1,200 (includes cooking lunch and ironing)
- Shirt dry cleaning: 10 to 15 for one shirt
School Fees
Expats will pay between 75,000 RMB and 220,000 RMB per year to send their children to the international schools in Shanghai — the fees escalate as the students become older and advance through the school system. Detailed fees are available in the “Children” section of this Guide.
