What is life in Shanghai Like for an Expat?

I am not originally from Shanghai but as a Chinese domme, Shanghai is my favorite city. A bunch of my subs/slaves like Shanghai the most among all the Chinese cities.

Shanghai has very low crime rate. The risk of being mugged or kidnapped is very rare. I walked many times alone in small street in late night and nothing bad happened.

You can use super developed public transportation systems to get around in Shanghai. Metros, buses, shared bikes are everywhere.

You can enjoy food diversity here as there is a wide range of good international restaurants & bars in Shanghai. It can take you a decade to finish trying out all the food options here.

Cost of living is high here as it is the top expensive city in China. If you wanna reach a pretty comfortable level of life here, you’d better earn 40K~ 50K RMB monthly if housing is not provided by company.

Shanghai has a population of 24~25 Million people so you can encounter tons of crowded corners in Shanghai. Occasional excursion to suburb is good to obtain peace and quiet.

Things You Need to Know Before You Move/Relocate to Shanghai As An Expat

Summary about cost of living in Shanghai, China:

• Family of four estimated monthly costs are 3,494.41S$ (16,650.98¥) without rent.
• A single person estimated monthly costs are 947.40S$ (4,514.38¥) without rent.
• Shanghai is 37.16% less expensive than Singapore 
• Rent in Shanghai is, on average, 30.43% lower than in Singapore.

Rent (Monthly)

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	8,871.36 ¥	5,000.00-15,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	4,348.48 ¥	3,000.00-7,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	19,537.03 ¥	12,000.00-30,000.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	9,754.85 ¥	6,000.00-15,000.00

Utilities (Monthly)

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 85m2 Apartment	412.20 ¥	300.00-637.50
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans)	0.23 ¥	0.10-0.40
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	100.00 ¥	50.00-200.00

Restaurants

Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	30.00 ¥	20.00-58.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	210.00 ¥	180.00-400.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	40.00 ¥	30.00-45.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter draught)	10.00 ¥	5.00-28.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	20.00 ¥	15.00-40.00
Cappuccino (regular)	26.76 ¥	15.00-38.00
Coke/Pepsi (0.33 liter bottle)	3.74 ¥	3.00-8.00
Water (0.33 liter bottle)	2.42 ¥	2.00-5.00

Markets

Milk (regular), (1 liter)	17.42 ¥	11.00-25.00
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (500g)	16.25 ¥	10.00-33.07
Rice (white), (1kg)	8.72 ¥	4.00-15.00
Eggs (regular) (12)	15.85 ¥	8.40-27.60
Local Cheese (1kg)	111.71 ¥	45.00-300.00
Chicken Fillets (1kg)	35.46 ¥	20.00-65.00
Beef Round (1kg) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	94.64 ¥	70.00-150.00
Apples (1kg)	16.91 ¥	6.00-38.00
Banana (1kg)	11.83 ¥	8.00-20.00
Oranges (1kg)	17.75 ¥	8.00-29.00
Tomato (1kg)	10.00 ¥	5.00-19.00
Potato (1kg)	6.61 ¥	4.00-10.00
Onion (1kg)	7.30 ¥	4.00-10.00
Lettuce (1 head)	6.83 ¥	2.00-10.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	4.41 ¥	3.00-10.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	100.00 ¥	50.00-200.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	5.94 ¥	3.00-10.00
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)	17.53 ¥	10.00-30.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	21.00 ¥	20.00-35.00

Transportation

One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	4.00 ¥	3.00-5.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	200.00 ¥	150.00-300.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	14.00 ¥	14.00-16.00
Taxi 1km (Normal Tariff)	3.00 ¥	2.50-4.00
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	36.75 ¥	30.00-60.00
Gasoline (1 liter)	6.87 ¥	5.82-8.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	140,000.00 ¥	120,000.00-160,000.00
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	155,235.29 ¥	130,000.00-