This is a complete guide to rent an apartment, or just a room in a shared flat, in Shanghai.
How to rent an apartment in Shanghai – Index
- Looking for an apartment on the internet
- Another option for getting a room in a shared apartment
- Looking for an apartment through an agency
- What are the expenses beside the monthly rent
- Why you need a regular contract
- How should the contract looks like?
- The most common scams while renting an apartment in China
- Where to live in Shanghai if you care about your social life
- Frequently asked questions
Looking for an apartment on the internet
If you are just landed to China and you don’t know anybody, the fastest way to find an apartment is probably to check the websites in English language. I recommend Flat in China, Smart Shanghai, Craigs List and Inter Shanghai.
The pros are that you won’t have to hunt for an agency on the street and most luckily you will deal with a landlord (or an agent) that can speak decent English.
Also, if you are in a tight budget (less than 3,000 RMB per month, that is about 500 USD) and you don’t want to live too far away from downtown, getting a room in a shared flat will be your only choice.
In this case, since very few agencies deal with “rooms” (they usually want you to rent the whole apartment), internet is your best bet.
The cons are that the apartments and rooms are usually more expensive (this is logical because the landlord knows that he’s addressing foreigners, often newcomers that can’t speak Chinese) and they get rented fast.
Especially for rooms in shared apartment, you either visit and take the room straight away or someone else will. It’s frustrating.
However, if you can speak Chinese or have a Chinese friend that is willing to help you, you can also check on the websites in Mandarin. Here the most popular: Sou Fun, Bai Xing (that is Chinese’s Craigs List) and Hao Zu.
Also on the Chinese websites the best rooms and flats get rented fast. However you will have much more choice and the prices will be way cheaper.
Another option for getting a room in a shared apartment
There are several active Couchsurfing groups that focus on Shanghai. You could sign up and see if there is anybody looking for a room.
In this case you could propose to him/her to join you and look together for a flat. If there isn’t any people that already posted a message, you can still post a message yourself saying “Hey, I’m looking for a roommate. Anybody interested?”
Why? The reason is that, if you team up with one or two other guys that are also looking for a room, you guys can rent a whole apartment.
This has three advantages:
- You will have much more choice because Shanghai is full of empty apartments (while empty room in a shared apartment are rare).
- You can address an agency (they usually only deals with empty apartments) so that you don’t have to rely solely on the internet.
- You will get a better deal as renting a whole apartment is usually cheaper (if you find a couple of roommates willing to share the rent with you).
This is how I found my current room. After two weeks of worthless calls and emails to people that were renting rooms in shared apartments, I teamed up with two other guys (yup, I met then on Couchsurfing).
We walked to an agency in Jing An, asked for an apartment in downtown with three bedrooms and a rent under 7,000 RMB (for the whole apartment) and got it in two days.
Looking for an apartment through an agency
Even if some agents can’t speak English, many of them will. Remember that you are in Shanghai, not in a small Tibetan village!
In this case your best bet is to choose the zone where you want to live (Jing An for instance) and start to walk around till you find an agency. There are plenty of agencies so you shouldn’t have problems to find a couple of them.
Then ask for an apartment with the characteristics you want (remember to specify your budget).
The agent will probably start by showing you an apartment that doesn’t respect your budget. The reason is that they work on commission. So if he can convince you to get an apartment a bit more expensive, he will earn a slightly higher commission.
Don’t freak out. Remember that you are in China : )
Be polite but inflexible. Tell him again what’s your budget and that you won’t accept anything more expensive than that. However remember to be realistic: find a decent room in downtown for less than 2,000 RMB/month is impossible.
Don’t forget to bargain the price. This is widely accepted in China and usually you will get some small discount (within 1% and 10% according to your bargain skills).
Another tactic pretty common used by the agents is to start by bringing you to a very shitty apartment. They know you won’t take it. They are just trying to scare you so that, after you see two or three flats that look disgusting, you will be happy to rent an apartment that is just so so. Don’t fall for it.
If an agent brings you to a very bad apartment, tell him that you want something better. If the second flat is like the first, just tell him to fuck off and walk away.
There are plenty of honest agencies so there is no reason to deal with someone that is trying to rip you off.
What are the expenses beside the monthly rent (security deposit, agency fee, electricity and so on)
In Shanghai you should pay the rent every month or, at worst, every two months. Also, you will have to pay a security deposit. Be aware that the landlord may ask you for a two or three months rent deposit. However you shouldn’t accept to pay an amount of money higher than one month of rent as a deposit.
Personally I would walk away if someone insists to want more than one month deposit as this is the standard.
When you find an apartment that you like, you must “block” it. This means that you have to anticipate a small amount of money. Our landlord asked 2,000 RMB to us but we only gave him 900 RMB (our rent is 7,000 per month). In exchange, he gave us a signed receipt.
The day after we came back to the apartment and, after we checked that everything was working (air cons, hot water and so on), we signed the contract and paid two months rent + one month deposit (all in cash, welcome to China!).
We also paid a commission to the agent, which corresponded to 35% of one month rent. If the agent ask for more just tell him that 35% is the standard fee (I suggest you to ask what the agency’s fee is before you start to check apartments).
Usually you will have to pay the electricity, water, gas and internet bills. The total amount shouldn’t be more than 400 RMB/month. So if you are three people it’s about 130 RMB/month each.
If you live in a big building there will be some maintenance fees (which may vary but usually it’s around 100-200 RMB/month). Our landlord pays it by himself, but some landlord will ask you to also pay this fee. Again, it’s up to you to bargain.
Why you need a regular contract
There are two reasons.
First at all, as soon as you arrive in China you are required to go to police station and register your address.
If you are a tourist or you are living in a students’ dorm you don’t need to worry about it because the hotel’s or the dorm’s manager will register you at the nearest police station.
However, if you rent an apartment, you need to do it yourself. It only takes five minutes and you don’t need to speak any Chinese. However you need to bring the original copy of your house contract and your passport (you also need to bring a copy of the contract, of the passport’s first page and of passport’s Visa page).
In the past years this wasn’t that important. However since this year the police is putting a lot of attention on address registration. If you don’t register your address, they will call the number that you gave at the customs the day you entered China. If you don’t answer, they will just start to look for you.
Again, it just takes five minutes. But you do need a regular house contract. Also, you should ask to your agent or landlord where is the police station because you only can register at the station that is responsible for your zone.
The second reason for which you need a contract is that you can’t fully trust your landlord. What are you going to do if, after three months that you rented the apartment, your landlord decides to rise the price of your flat?
If you have a regular contract, you just tell him to shut up or you will go to talk with the police. But if you don’t have any contract you don’t own any right to stay there.
Also, how are you going to get back your security deposit? This isn’t your country. So just play it safe and ask for a contract.
How should the contract looks like?
- First at all, the house contract should be in English or both in English and Chinese languages. Don’t sign any contract in Chinese if you don’t speak the language.
- The name of the landlord should be in the contract. I would also ask to see his ID card and get a copy of it.
- The address of the apartment should be on the contract.
- The monthly rent fee, the deposit fee and the rent scheduling (every month or every two months) should be on the contract.
- The duration of the contract should be specified. And by the way, the duration is also something that you can bargain.
- The contract should states that the landlord is responsible to fix major damages (like a broken fridge or air con).
- The contract should state that, in the case the landlord asks you to live before the end of the contract, he should pay a penalty (at least one month rent).
The most common scams while renting an apartment in China
- Read your contract and check that everything I mentioned is written there. If it’s not written, it doesn’t exist. And you have no power to enforce the landlord to respect his word.
- Get a receipt for anything you pay. I know it seems obvious, but there are still people that forget to ask for it.
- Don’t accept to pay more than a month rent deposit. Anything higher than that sounds like a scam to me.
- If you don’t want to use an agency, avoid to sign a contract with a landlord that doesn’t live in the apartment (or next door). Also, avoid intermediaries! The problem is that they could just run away with your money. And this doesn’t only happen with Chinese intermediaries.
In late 2011 eighty people were scammed by Ryan Fedoruk, a Canadian guy that sublet thirty apartments in Shanghai and then flew away with the money (300,000 RMB).
So, either you go with an agency (and check if the agency is legit by visiting its office) or trust the landlord (because he will live with you or next door).
Where to live in Shanghai if you care about your social life
Many people will choose their location in order to be close to their office or university. However other people prefer to live in downtown so they can have a better social life (remember that Shanghai is huge). I’m one of the latter.
First at all, you should look for an apartment close to a subway station. Shanghai subway system is massive (the longest in the world) so you can go pretty much everywhere with it (here you find an interactive map). Also, it’s quite cheap.
In particular, I advice you to live along the subway line 2 (the green one), which crosses all Shanghai from East to West. This will usually allows you to reach any part of the city with only one of two changes (and often without changes at all).
The best places to live are, in my opinion, between Nanjing East Station and Zhong Shan Park Station. Most of bars & clubs are located on the old French concession, that is on the South of these stations. But it’s not only about nightlife, I like this zone because it remembers me of an European town, with a lot of tiny alleys, small restaurants and old cafés.
Be aware that the apartments inside the French concession are either bloody expensive or pretty old. If you still want to live downtown and get a modern flat but, at the same time, you have a small budget, then I suggest you to look at the North side of the line 2.
In general Zhong Shan Park and Jangsu Road are cheaper than Jing An, Nanjing West or People Square (check the map of the line 2 if you feel a bit lost).
Frequently asked questions
The average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in the city center is around 6,800 RMB (1,000 US dollars), while you can find apartments for half that price outside of the city center.
Nowadays, you’ll find many apartments that fetch for as much as 80,000 – 130,000 RMB (12,000 – 18,000 US dollars) per square meter in the central areas, and even close to surrounding districts, like Minhang. Shanghai is not your cup of tea if you look for investment properties and high yields, but mainly if you want to buy out of personal reasons.
Having travelled around Europe, I can just say that the overall standard is lower compared to Western countries. Apartments are smaller and the quality of facilities often worse. If you plan to share a regular unit, you need to get accustomed to see a couple of cockroaches from time to time.
Mold issues aren’t rarely heard of (even in expat accommodations) and you shouldn’t take for granted that the landlord will help you to solve these kind of issues.
If you move as an expat, your company might work with agents in China (like my old company) and can provide you with the right contacts.
Photo Credits: 
A Shanghai skyline by David Almeida
Hey, thanks so much for this post. I’m relocating to Shanghai soon and this is like my bible. ;)
I know you’ve been asked a lot of questions and I hope you don’t mind my jumping on with one. I saw quite a few single-room flats in the Putuo area (from some of the Chinese websites you recommended) going as cheap as about RMB 2 200 and was wondering if it is possible, especially since you mentioned that for the same price, you probably only get a room in a shared flat in the downtown area.
In the beginning, I was thinking of finding a shared flat and securing a room before I reach China. But now that I’ve seen that whole flats are possibly in the same price range, they would obviously be a better option. So I was thinking of walking into an agency after landing, this would be more ideal as I’d be able to see the places myself. My worst fears however, would be that I’ve been misled, and to find myself being forced to rent something way out of my budget, or not even managing to get a place to stay.
Like a lot of other people, I am quite iffy about renting over the internet, so if that rate is normal, I wouldn’t need to worry and can safely put my accommodation woes away until after my flight. ;)
Hi,
DO NOT rent it over the internet. Get an hotel/hostel room for a couple of days and visit the apartments yourself BEFORE to pay any deposit
Hi Mr. Fu,
Nice and helpful article indeed!
And pleasantly if you may convey some answers more to me,
Sure I ‘ll be so appreciated:
By the way we are a Libyan family of 4 peoples (me, my wife and two kids 14 & 9 years),
Travelling to shanghai and staying there 3 months tourists)
Please can suggest us the best safe area to rent one apartment?
A safe area with considerable rated price ( from 1000 to 1500 $)?
Respects
Mahmud
Hi there,
Shanghai is really safe. Anything downtown (see article for details) will be ok
Hello,
We’re staying for 3 months in Shanghai, we have told the Landowner that and he has told us that we’re going to sign a 3 month contact with 1,5 month of deposit.
He told Us that with a 3 months contract we can be sure that the deposit would be given back at the end of the perioe.
Do you think that with a 3 months contrat we will have our deposit back ?
Thank you for your help !
I can’t answer to this question because I don’t know the landlord nor the contract you are going to sign. Read the article; if you follow the advices in there you shall be ok
Really good article! Good job man! But some info here is a bit incorrect. Every Chinese and foreign person that I know in Shanghai had to put down 2 months of deposit. That’s a standard here. Its not a scam. Second, if you don’t have a Chinese friend don’t sign a contract. These agents use Google translator or sometimes don’t even bother to translate it right because they are unfrofessional and don’t care. If you go to court they will go with the Chinese version. Third, it will take you weeks to find a decent apartment in Shanghai. You pay 7k a month in jingan? Wow you must be living in some dirty ass apartment my friend. Forth, if you want to find a room in a shared aprtment look for those ads posted by foreigners that are looking for a replacement or a new roommate. There aren’t so many of them but try to find them. If you see ads with grammar mistakes or no space between words and commas, some weird contact name (e.g Queenie, Mars, Sky and other stupid Chinese names lol) Avoid! These are Chinese middlemen trying to sublease apartments for living and rip you off. If you see any Chinese persons involved in the process avoid. Try to ask a local friend for help. Living with other foreigners that are signed with the landlord is great. You will be living with freigners that know Shanghai. They will show you around and you will have lots of fun because they will take you to all the good places like cheap and tasty restaurants, good clubs, free drinks, networking events etc. Fifth, if you don’t speak Chinese how are you gonna manage to pay off your bills? They are all in Chinese and some of them come out every two months. You will have to install internet by yourself and that’s another headache. Sixth, who pays 35% commission to an agent? We paid 1500 to ours. The agent also collects a commission from the landlord. Seventh, what landlord wants to rent out a house for less than half a year?? They will have to pay an agent look for Ppl etc. Some landlords don’t even live in Shanghai. Eight, don’t sign with Shanghainese landlords, some of they are pain in the butt. They might check up on you and they are too detailed.
My apartment was nice and clean; 7k was for a room, the whole apartment was 21k. You don’t need weeks to find it; you need a decent agent and 2 days. However we signed the contract more than a year ago so prices may be higher now.
If your contract is only in English you can’t go to court with a Chinese contract cause there is no Chinese contract. Also, if I remember well on the article I suggested to either bring a Chinese friend or pay an interpreter.
You say that if you can’t speak Chinese you can’t pay bills… whatever, just get somebody to translate the important info the first time, then it’s so easy: you go to a Family Mart and give them the money. that’s all. You make things way too complicated; living in China is not so difficult you just need a bit of flexibility.
Some of your suggestions are good though. Thank you for sharing!
Hi
Great article, it gives a really good indication of trying to find somewhere to live in Shanghai. I was just wondering, what would be the reality of trying to find an apartment with an oven in Shanghai? I’ve been looking at quite a few online and most just seem to have 2 gas hobs… Would this even be a possibility? I am a keen baker and am not sure that I could last a year without an oven!!
Thanks
Chloe
Hi Chloe,
You’re right… the oven is a Western invention. 99% of Chinese apartments have no oven. So I guess you’ll have to buy one. You can find a used one on the expat community I guess as it’s a common problem.
I’d try the forums on Shanghaiist, Smartshanghai or Couchsurfer
F.
Very Very useful Article. I did not found any other atricle better thank this. Hey I am soon shifting to Shanghai and my office is in Huangpu. I will be moving with my wife and would be looking for 1 BR apartment. Wanted to know your thoughts and help on it on the pricing. Will I get a decent one in 3-4k RMB. Dont want to live far though from the office. Can you also let me know the cost of living otherwise.
Hi, I think for apartment you are looking at least at 5,000 RMB. Just head to Smart Shanghai to have an idea of the prices
Oh my, this is a serious piece of information :) Thanks a lot.
I also would like to ask for advice. I’m currently living in Barcelona, but I’m coming to SH for an exchange year, so I am checking out the housing possibilities.
Now, the easiest way to get a place would be by simply checking the blank “Student Dormitory” in my Application Form, but I don’t like those very much. The single rooms are beyond my budget with prices ranging between 100-150 yuan/day (double rooms cost 60-80 yuan/day).
Do you think there is a satisfying alternative to the above? People keep telling me that I should get a suggested dormitory for the first semester, at least, but I’m looking for somebody to tell me different. Do you think it’s possible to get a shared flat since the arrival, despite the economic, administrative and all the other limitations I can’t think of right now?
Could I have an impression? :)
yeah,
if you follow the suggestions on the article (that is you find 1-2 roommates through Couchsurfing or something) you can find an apartment quite fast. It took me 5 hours.
I suggest you to book an hotel or an hostel for the first days though.
Thanks very much!
But would you know if the student visa (X type) allows me to take that kind of action?
yes, as a student you can rent an apartment
Cheers! Again, this is a great article.
Awesome article. Helped so much. I am Brazilian and I am going to live in Shanghai soon. I have to thank you for your very helpfull and detailed article.
Hi Rodrigo,
I’m glad you found it helpful, cheers!
This 2bedroom one at Xin Tian Di area will be available starting 1st Jan 2014. RMB 7500/month. In case anyone interested. :)
Cheers
Hi,
I love this website and find it most helpful. So thanks to everyone who’s working on it. I studied in Beijing 7 years ago, and now coming back to China to do internet business. My friends are located in Beijing and Shanghai. And I wanted to decided to stay in one of these cities. Can’t decide which one to choose. As a single female I guess safety first for me. Can you give me your opinion on this?
Hi, I prefer Shanghai: there is less pollution, abetter subway system, abetter weather,and it’s more international
Hi Furio,
thank u very much fr ur answer.:)
what i meant is whether every agency can provide Fapiao for the rent? And whether it’s true that renter should pay for Fapiao, which could be 6% of the monthly rent?
Hmm I’m not so expert on the topic. In my experience you shall receive a fapiao for the first payment (which includes the deposit) and then you can pay through online banking directly to the landlord (you’ll receive a bank slip with the name and bank account number of the landlord).
If you want an “official” fapiao from the agency you may have to pay something but I’ve never been in such a situation! I would ask to some agencies, there are plenty in town : P
Hi there thank you so much for writing this article, it’s amazing!
I just have one ratherplain question to ask u. Hope u can give us some advice. is it possible to rent two bedroom appartment in a location close to huaihai middle road Or metro ride within half hour?Our budget is 8000rmb top. AND do u have tips on asking “fapiao” from landlord?
Many thnx
Yes, I shouldn’t be difficult, I saw quite a few apartments with 3 bedrooms under 8,000 kuai.
I don’t get your question about asking fapiao. I mean, just ask for it any time you pay something haha
Thanks for writing this man. I had to take my time to read it from start to end. The thing is the part of the world where I come from, you can easily get a room apartment for say $500 for a year rent – yeah it is that cheap and that is talking about a good location and nice room – not furnished.
I am planning to move to China this December, hence my reasons for checking out these information online about living expenses and general lifestyle in China.
Is there any possibility of getting a room for say $200 per month. I really do not care about the location as long as its in a place where people stays. I’m an internet entrepreneur and my main aim is to live in China for a little while.
I there,
yeah just don’t go to Shanghai or Beijing, if I was you I would go to Yunnan Province. We published a long article about Yunnan here on the site, check it, you may like it haha
Would have been helpful if you give me the direct link. I just searched your blog and saw two articles about Yunnan dunno if they are the ones you were referring to….
http://www.saporedicina.com/english/travel-to-yunnan/
The other one guess its a general south china travel.
SHALOM
Yeah, that link is correct. If you like quiet place I recommend Dali (old town).
Dali, here I come !
Hope to meet with you when I come around (that’s if you live close or in China by then.)
You know, visa issue from my country is a pain in the ass. I will surely get over it and come over pretty soon.
BTW, is there any way you earn money with this site? You provide high level information and I guess you should be rewarded (except you live and feed for free :) )
I’m in Thailand now, dunno when will go back to China haha
Yes, the site does a bit of money http://www.saporedicina.com/english/disclosure/
Best piece of info…to the point and extremely useful. I am moving to SH soon from Beijing. 90% of my worries on renting an apartment in SH are already done with after reading this article. Many thanks. m
I’m glad you find it useful!
Cheers
F.
Thanks for the guide. I will be based here from the beginning of December and this can help me a lot. I’ll let you know what deal I got when I get it.
Hey Nathan, I’m glad you found it useful : )
So I found an apartment 2 weeks ago. It is between Jing’an and Jiangsu on Yuyuan Road. I have 50 m2 for 4000 RMB, so everything one person needs! I have signed for just 6 months because I heard they were going to demolish the building next door and I dont want to get kicked out later.
By the way, your site doesnt work without a VPN.
It looks quite cheap for being so close to Jing’an,
Congrats!
Sometimes the website doesn’t work without VPN, in general it should work though.
Great information and advice – thanks. I’m looking to move to Shanghai from London and never having been to China before, found your site really helpful. Keep up the good work.
Hey Rob, thank you for reading!
Hi, very useful article as everyone is saying! It would be amazing if you could clarify one thing for me though :) You mentioned in the article that you paid 7000rmb for a 3bedroom apartment, but how long ago was that? I am just getting so confused with different opinions about living expenses in shanghai. Some people are telling me that shanghai is more expensive than london, some people saying that it is cheap :) Is it possible to get a 1 bedroom nice looking apartment not too far from the centre for up to 6000rmb? I would appreciate any comments :)
Hi Kat,
it was only 6 months ago, so I’m talking of 2013 prices. Also, just last week I left my room on that apartment to a girl as I’m moving. She will pay 2350 RMB, and we are talking about an apartment 5 minutes walking from Nanjing road and 20 minutes walking from Jing An temple, that is at the core of Shanghai.
With 6000 RMB you can afford a whole small apartment in downtown Shanghai.
People that say that Shanghai is as expensive as London have never been in Shanghai, and probably neither in London haha
Hi,
Thanks very much for clearing it out for me :) I am already in Shanghai, and I have to admit that it really is not as expensive as London :)) I got a nice little serviced apartment for 5300 rmb. I find your blog very helpful and looking forward to reading new stuff.
:5300 alone? You were lucky as this is a very bargain price )
hey could you please tell me were the serviced apartment is at that price as i am coming over to shanghai soon
Check Smartshanghai for prices on each Shanghai district!
Very nice article!
What I found can help sometimes for the bargaining is when you are willing to sign a contract for longer than a year or are willing to pay the rent for half a year in advance.
Flo
Hey Flo,
yeah if you are sure you will stay in Shanghai for a couple of years getting a 2 years contract may represent a good deal:
1) The landlord will be happy and willing to make a discount
2) He won’t have the possibility to rise the price after a year, which it’s really common in China
F.
Hey Furio,
What a great article, really really good! Do continue
Jacquem
Hey Jacquem,
yup, we are going to publish the Beijing version soon (wrote for someone that lives there)
Any word on the Beijing guide? Or do you think all is the same for both cities except line 2 being the best line of course. Some people say Shanghai is a different country to China but does this count for law, regulations etc?
Thanks in Advance and thanks for the guide because I am moving to Beijing after 4 years in Berlin and it is a BIG jump for me
Hi Emma, we got a guide for Beijing too, here it is: http://www.saporedicina.com/english/rent-in-beijing/
Hi Furio
Can you get a decent apartment or studio apartment for 4500 RMB
Far from the city center, I think so. In the city center, I think that for living alone (ie. dont share apartment with someone else) you’ll need a bit more
Really it’s very helpful
Deep thanks
: )
I must say this is one of the best post on how to find accommodation in Shanghai. This is what a lof of people are asking for. Well done, Furio keep the good work!
hey Artur, thank you!
I’ve wrote it out of frustration because I wasn’t able to find anything really helpful… So yeah, it’s good to see such a comments : )
Did he ever get prosecuted? I am so sorry you went through that. Are things better now for you?
Definitely thanks alot its a tough move but I enjoyed my stay there could have used this info
This is so helpful, thank you so much for writing this!
Hey Morgan,
I’m glad it helped ; )