dsab Posted February 21, 2005 Report Share Posted February 21, 2005 Not sure if this is the right forum, but anyway. My marriage with my thai wife is a bit different to other thai-farang relationships, as she is the career-orientated woman, and I am "just" a normal guy with average skills and ambitions. My wife got offered a position in Shanghai. Now we are considering the pros and cons of living in shanghai. One of the main questions is how much money you have to earn for a reasonable lifestyle in Shanghai, and if the spouse gets a work permit as well? I haven`t been on to the Chinese embassy yet, but I thought some people here might have an answer. Cheers, DSAB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 dsab said:One of the main questions is how much money you have to earn for a reasonable lifestyle in Shanghai, and if the spouse gets a work permit as well? Lots Shanghai is one of the most expensive places (for foreigners anyway) after the big 4 (Tokyo, London, NY, HK). Just to give you an idea, my company gives you a 30% uplift in base salary, USD5,000 housing allowance (you must spend it or lose it), USD 500 cost of living allowance, USD 20,000 education allowance, and 2 home leaves a year. Oh, and chinese income tax maxes out at 45%(you will reach that quickly). People I know that live there love it. Been there once, it was ok, full of chinese though. :: TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torrenova Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 If you've got the option, try to get into Hong Kong. You'll need more than USD5,000 for accommodation, unless that is per month. I lived in Hong Kong but I couldn't live in Shanghai. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 torrenova said:If you've got the option, try to get into Hong Kong. You'll need more than USD5,000 for accommodation, unless that is per month. I lived in Hong Kong but I couldn't live in Shanghai. Yes, the USD5,00 for Shanghai is per month. The housing allowance for HK is USD 10,000 per month. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffalo_bill Posted February 22, 2005 Report Share Posted February 22, 2005 Thaihome, I have several Taiwanese friends who live in Shanghai part of the year ; your figures are way above what they have to spend and they are no cheap charlies. Obviously , there are alternatives. BuBi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 i am several times per year in Shanghai and have some buddies there. housing is quite a bit more expensive than in Bangkok and in particular for upper class accommodation still fastly increasing, but it is still much less expensive than Hongkong and also less than Singapore; most expensive mainland china city though. food and entertainment: cost as in the west if you go out in Xintiandi or 5star hotels, less until much less in other areas. be prepared that overall living costs will still increase for a certain time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsab Posted February 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Thanks for all that. She had today a chat with her boss about the financial details of the offer, and it seems quite good. Housing will be provided and 100% paid for by the company, as well as some other things. I can feel that she is really excited about the prospect of going there. She speaks the lingo quite well, which puts her into a clear advantage to me. Unfortunately I speak no Mandarin at all. I think the only reason that she didn`t accept yet is me. But anyway, I will get her to accept it. I know it will be a big step forward in her career. And will give me the chance to get another language under my belt, and to improve my handicap (golf). Tomorrow is a day with the family, and I know everyone will tell her to take the opportunity and enjoy. (I prepared her mum and dad already) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samak Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 good luck and happy move! also good luck with learning Putonghua! i find it quite a bit more difficult to learn and more frustrating in the beginning to practise than Thai! and we fellow boardmembers will assist with answers where to find Sanuk in Shanghai! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singhaman Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Thaihome is right. Shanghai became one of the most expensive places over the past years. Living ( Pudong Area -a bit outside) in a 3 bedroom Condo (1060sqft) costs 1200US$, which is reasonable. However living in the city can be up to 6K per month. Houses are even more. The contract for employement should be made in HKG, where Tax is somewhere at 23%. Having a car is out of the question unless you want to attend a chinese driving school because a chinese driving license is needed. Cars are at the same level as they are here in Thailand. Living costs are ok, if you stay with the local food and dont go out for party. However if you like western style food and good entertainment, then this can become pretty expensive. A JD Coke is around 370THB. My gf used to work there for 18 months and I went there a couple of times to visit. PM me if you need further informations. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gobbledonk Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 And will give me the chance to get another language under my belt My guess is that you'll have more than one 'language' to add to your belt, dsab - or more correctly, several dialects. I havent been to Shanghai, but the locals reputedly prefer Shanghainese over the official Mandarin language, and I dont think it is spoken anywhere else in China (unlike Cantonese). In southern China, people around me seemed to switch between dialects seamlessly, and I'm sure you'll just use whatever gets your message across. Good luck - in many ways, I envy you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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