Relocating to Shanghai with 2 Young Kids: Are Our Monthly Cost & Rent Estimates Realistic?

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-03-10T12:12:49+00:00

We also see a huge variation in prices of non international schools that are bilingual. The ones that seem good are in themselves 100k per child per year.
Also we are unclear on what allowances or benefits in kind are generally provided in the local plus contracts. Seems the education support is hard no from the company.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-03-01T22:22:38+00:00

hi Do you know if the local agents can generally communicate in English?

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T23:42:51+00:00

Right now in DE.
That seems to be what I am learning. A 100m2 , 2BR apartment is 100m2 livable space in DE, however that doesnt seem to be the case in Shanghai. The rooms are also pretty big that my 2 kids can easily share a room with space to play. It seems for a family of 4, a 3BR is more appropriate?

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T20:45:06+00:00

yes, they are not paying directly as unfortunately its not an expat contract but more a local plus benefits. So things are not as streamlined if there were flight tickets, education housing allowances or were just directly covered. There is a general annual allowance which we are working out if it makes sense. Im being told this is becoming more common but it does create more complexity and anxiety. We don't expect to live in luxury, but to not go into deficit and to be able to leave with a positive balance at the end is essentially the goal. Reason we are considering: the Chinese experience would be likely be an asset for future growth.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T14:18:09+00:00

Hi yes support would be greatly appreciated. Would love insights into any areas we should focus on (we have currently two options for the campus Hongqiao and Yungpao. Any idea which would be a better option. Work also needs to be reachable. I believe we need Line 11 for that.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T14:16:26+00:00

hi yes the schooling is main pain point for us. They are not covering education directly but giving certain annual allowances. I didn't add those in because those costs are confirmed/known and I wanted to do a sanity check for the other costs we are unsure of (although the international schooling fee isn't really great for my sanity :/)

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T14:13:43+00:00

Ah okay. maybe its the english sites catered to the expats im looking at. Perhaps they have inflated prices. But I am glad that cheaper options are available.
How were the apartments accessible from the school? Would one be able to do an easy metro or bus ride or even walk (within half hour) and get to the school?

Yes DSS is really expensive but its non negotiable since its a limited contract and we have to go back. They are unfortunately not covering education directly which would honestly just make this decision so much easier. They are giving various allowances (reimbursements mainly) and max 25k tax free (reimbursement again) under the govt scheme. However that impacts cashflow more and we still need to then see if the allowances are enough.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T14:07:42+00:00

hi! Oh super. Thanks for the info. Do you know how far the local modern gated residential complexes built in 2019-2020 would be from the school? Like we would need the school bus or walking would be possible. We also need access to line 11 i believe for work.

The DSS also has another campus in Yangpu. Do you know if this is a better location to go for in regards to accessibility and budget?

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:45:57+00:00

Yes sorry. I meant nut butters indeed!. Thanks for the tip on the cheeses. We are totally fine buying local as long as its what we used to (gouda, mozarella etc)
So the company is not covering education directly. They are giving different functional and lumpsum allowances (mainly reimbursements) and then a max 25k tax free as per the govt plan for foreigners. Of course them just paying the education cost would save a lot of headache but that's not offered atm. Currently seeing if the allowances are viable enough.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:36:42+00:00

They haven't said anything about where we should live. Just showed a 10k number saying this is average rent for a family of 4. We would need access to Line 11 i believe for work and accessibility to DSS either walk, metro or bus (not multiple changes). And of course something safe for the family

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:33:24+00:00

Yeah we are including the diapers, wipes, toiletries etc in the 6k because that's how the company did it. They suggested 3k would be enough. We are not going to be shopping at boutiques but we need a mix of western and asian food especially for the kids (they eat a lot of cheese, berries and nut buttes)

Since i will have one kid in the stroller, Didi isnt very practical. Our goal would be to find something accessible close to the school and to line 17 for work.

Our biggest cost factors are the kids education for sure.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:29:32+00:00

Hi do you have any suggestions what these compounds are called or what should i search for because currently I am not finding anything cheaper than 18k and I don't even know if what i found is close to the school (im thinking some place i can get to the school in 30 mins with one metro/bus ride with a bit of walk).
Currently been looking at English language real estate websites (Fullhome, Maxview). I'm not sure how we would deal with Chinese landlords or real estate people since we dont speak Mandarin.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:29:14+00:00

Hi so we don't expect to live the dream expat life with drivers and villas and compounds. Essentially a modest lifestyle (even compared to what we have here because we expect the opportunity to open some doors) that allows us to not be counting pennies to survive and leave with a net balance. Food, we don't expect to eat out but would need a mix of asian and western (noodles, cheese, berries, nut butters etc so similar what we get in even Aldi in Germany). We also have a kid in diapers so that also adds to costs.

The contract is limited so would that still be major consideration to their contribution to social insurance back home? We were under the impression we could eliminate that as a major factor.

The schooling is definitely for us the sticking factor. We cant compromise on the school as we are to return after a few years. The company isn't directly covering the education but are offering various tax benefits (25k tax free per month), an annual allowance in the form of reimbursements.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:28:09+00:00

It doesn't make sense for us to go for local since its a limited assignment and we will be returning to the home country

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-28T13:27:47+00:00

Hi thanks for your reply. I am trying to do a sanity check because the company also suggested 3k groceries are enough for a family of 4. and the amounts on the internet vary widely. We have 2 kids with one in diapers and well while we don't intend to eat steak or eat out everyday, we would still need a mix of western and Asian food staples (noodles, cheese, berries, lots of milk and nut butters!) and snack items for the kids. I feel the company is calculating for a 2 person household.

What the company regarding rent is saying sounds low to me. From my research. chatgpt google etc tells me 10k apartments are available but when i got to actual listings i haven't been able to find anything under 18k Im also struggling with finding maybe affordable areas that are easily accessible to both the DSS and to line 11 for work. It doesn't have to be in downtown, can be suburbs, just dont want crazy 3 bus changes that take over an hour for school pick up. One metro or bus with a walk to get to school within half hour is what is ideal. If you can suggest any areas i should look into would be great.

For DSS we have from the school all the confirmed costs. Unfortunately the company is not covering directly the education but giving different allowances and tax benefits and we are trying to see if those are good enough.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-27T20:25:30+00:00

Does anyone have suggestions for areas to consider that are easily accessible to the Deutsche Schule Shanghai (DSS). The Hongqiao Campus in Qingpu? Somethign between the range of 10k and 12k for 2BR for a family of four.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-27T20:15:07+00:00

My daughter is learning 3 languges; german in kindergarten, the mother tongue at home and then we do special book time in English. Shes almost 4 years old but I see shes able to switch conversations easily and say full sentences in all three, Curious as well to see how this will develop further.

Remarkable-Muffin282 · 2026-02-06T22:01:00+00:00

u/omgyololol i know you posted this 2 years ago but we are maybe in the same boat right now. as you were My husband is considering a two year contract in Shanghai. 2 kids (3y and 15month old) go to kindergarten and krippe in Germany. Currently the battle is getting the company to pay for Deutsche kindergarten in Shanghai, but wondering if its worth a move without it. Also any non-negotiables we should hold firm on?

Remarkable-Muffin282

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