Before you flyWhat ¥12,000, ¥20,000 and ¥35,000 rent
What ¥12,000, ¥20,000 and ¥35,000 rent
¥12,000, ¥20,000 and ¥35,000 are conversation bands for an HR housing allowance. They are not a promise of what is listed this week.
- 01
Lock the school bus first. The same number buys a different life in a Qingpu villa and a Hengfu lane house.
- 02
Most Shanghai leases are unfurnished. The same budget has to pay for furniture rental or a long IKEA run.
- 03
Cash on signing day is deposit + first rent + agency fee. Use the tools page — do not guess out loud.
- 04
A fapiao for the housing allowance: if the landlord cannot issue one, the band that “looks enough” may not reimburse.
- 05
¥12,000 asks whether you can take an older walk-up. ¥20,000 asks family-start versus a comfortable single. ¥35,000 asks whether you are entering villas, large flats or serviced.
- 06
One to six months is a different price list. Open the serviced brand page that day.
Housing We only quote rents that carry a verification date, or a written asking price from the owner. City-wide averages are not used here.
Before you fly
- Choosing an area by commute and schoolShanghai is not chosen by district. A family is locked by the school bus first, then the office door, then the airport, then the spouse’s daily life.
- Agency fees and deposit termsThe cash pit in week one is not the rent itself. It is the stack on signing day. Put the numbers in the contract, not in WeChat.
- How to read an English listingEnglish listing boards are an index, not a verification. Freshness is often a paid refresh. Photographs are often not taken by the agency that posted them.
- The cost slots, not a price tableHeadquarters approves a housing allowance. The family spends housing plus school plus insurance plus an ayi plus utilities plus food. Talking only about “what ¥20,000 rents” misses the bill that breaks a villa household.
- The housing brief to settle before viewingsA shortlist only works after the employer and assignee agree on the campus, door-to-door commute, lease party, reimbursement, accommodation registration, furnishing, signing-day cash and who may approve a trade-off.
Each guide gives the official process with source links and effective dates, plus the pitfalls we have recorded from real cases. Anything requiring a licence is referred to registered providers only.
Live near what you love.
Tell us the school, the dates, and the corridor you are looking at.