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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Is 1500RMB enough as a housing allowance to live in Nanjing?
Is 1500RMB enough as a housing allowance to live in Nanjing?
Yes.
It will get you alot more than the shit hole they will offer you, so its a win. You may need to spend more depending on the size, location or decorations but it will certainly be better than any apartment they will offer , so you will be much happier and for the city 1500 seems pretty fair.
Yes, and I have learned from experience that you are always better to take housing allowance over provided apartment, except if you want to live in a shit hole (don't expect a modern high-end flat), and being able to choose your home as well as your neighborhood is very important in China. Also I personally hate living right next to my workplace, I feel chained to it, I want to arrive in the morning, do my work then leave and not having to walk past it or meet my coworkers all the time, not too far also because I don't want to put up with long commute, let's say that 15~20 minutes by e-bike is perfect for me.
manasyt:
I guess I'm lucky then haha. Our apartment is across the street from my Uni, takes 10 min to get to my classroom on foot. It's new and big enough for me and my wife. We are happy here. :)
Make sure when accepting this as your monthly accommodation allowance:
1) find a chinese person to help you get a place - not an estate agent. Estate agents will try an fob-off their ideas on you AND will probably **** you blind if this is your first time in China.
2) have a good idea of the type of place you want in terms of distance to place of work, local facilities - you don't want to be backing onto a factory or power plant etc.
3) don't accept the first place you are shown because as a foreigner they will see you coming and chances are not take any of your requirements into consideration. they will also try to rip you off as regards rent so do your research about what is the typical rent in an area.
4) budget for staying in a hotel maybe for 2 weeks so you are not too rushed in finding a place. If you find a place, visit it at different times of the day and night, you don't want to be stuck in an area with street vendors selling food into the small hours, near a brothel area or KTV area.
5) make sure anything regarding accommodation and utilities (who pays), furnishings etc are outlined clearly in the contract.
Reading all the answers here makes me feel that I am lucky. They put me up in an apartment block 4 stops away. It's quiet and faces a hill and nothing else, so I get quite a nice view. The nearest massage place is 15 mins away by foot.
But, the previous one in Shunde was not so nice. In the day, it's like a home for the aged and day care center mashed into one. You can imagine the noise. On weekends, ayis dance in the courtyard all day long, pausing only at lunch break, drove me nuts.
So, yes, it's important to have a place that's quiet, modern and peaceful. And without having to bump into coworkers all the time.
Eorthisio:
Bad luck for you, Shunde (if you talk about Shunde, Guangdong) is not a bad place to live in and it is the #2 richest per-capita city in China, just behind Ordos and far ahead of Shanghai, Beijing or Shenzhen (even when excluding the migrant workers).
Although I wouldn't exchange my flat next to Qiandenghu Lake in Nanhai CBD for anything in Shunde.
Depending on where in the city you decide to live 1500 may be enough to get you a small place, with a roommate. It won't be a nice place, mind you, but will probably be better than whatever crappy place your job offers to give you. Just make sure that you have enough money to pay for several months, plus security deposit, up front.
I agree with the above posters that a housing allowance is preferable to a school/company provided apartment in most cases but 1500/month sounds quite low for Nanjing. For that price you will likely be living in a substandard place with at least one roommate far from the city center. I would be prepared to spend more like 2500 rmb/month if you want to have a decent place to yourself.
Spiderboenz:
I had an ok place for 1300 a month, 2 metro stops from the city center in Nanjing, so it IS possible.
You can take the 1500 housing allowance, and then spend 500-1000 more to get a nice place. That's what I did anyway. Sure beats sharing a room with other people. Just make sure your contract says the 1500 is provided each month and not just a one time thing.
Sounds about right. Depends on which area you live in...
As a little tip, Chinese landlords LOVE renting out to foreigners?
This is because we don't trash the place, move our entire family in... and break then complain about everything... all the time. So use this to your advantage and go for discounts... and bring this up when seeking a place to live. Good luck!
Eorthisio:
Well, from my many experiences visiting flats in Guangzhou when the company in charge of the garden calls the landlord about that foreign customer the first question they ask "Is he white or black?", they love renting to Caucasians but not to the many Africans in Guangzhou, even if some of them are making lots of money.
no 1500 will not be enough, a 250sq foot studio inside nanjing will run over 2500 a month, unles you live jiangning.