Expatriate Forums in China

DallasCowboys

We will be moving to Shenzhen and my office will be in Bantian, Longgang
district. Can anyone suggest a safe area for expats to live near my office. I
heard that Shenzhen is not very safe. I have children and safety is a big
concern. I am looking for apartment with at least 3 bedrooms. And we
are considering enrolling my children to ISSC international school in
Nanshan. How long is the commute to Nanshan from Longgang? I also
appreciate any info that can help us quickly settling in Shenzhen. There
are so many questions:
1) What is the average rent for a 3+ rooms apartment in a safe area near Longgang?
2) What is the salary for a domestic helper?
3) We will not have a car. Is it difficult to get around in Longgang without
a car? Does the subway go to Longgang?

Any other info is appreciated.

Thanks....

Gary

There are six districts in ShenZhen: Louhu, Futian, Nanshan, Yantian, Baoan, and Longgang. The six districts are divided into inner districts and outer district, and there are control gates in between inner and outer districts. Baoan and Longgang are the two outer districts.

As far as safety and living standard are concerned, inner districts are better than outer districts. One main reason is that commercial or business centers are located in inner districts mainly in Futian, Nanshan and Louhu. Factories are located in outer districts, and they employ lots of people with low education level.

It is comparatively difficult to find good dinning place or shopping center in outer districts.

There are nice apartments in both inner and outer districts. One near Bantian would be the ‘WanKe City’, which is considered good and quite self-contained. But the neighborhood areas are still to be developed. I am not sure exactly the rent for a 3 bedroom apartment, but should be something around RMB5000. This price can get a quite good apartment in Nanshan district.

Traveling from Bantian, Longgang to Nanshan would take about 45mins by drive. And got to beware of traffic jams, as quite often it is very terrible especially during peak hours.

The salary for s domestic helper could range from RMB1200 to RMB3000. But don’t expect them to speak English. In addition, it is not easy to find a good one.

There isn’t a subway in Longgang district yet. Although one is being built, as far as I can recall, it is not close to Bantian. The public transport system is not good at all when compare to western countries, so don’t expect too much. It could take 2 hours or even more from one end to another by bus when it only takes 20 to 30 mins by drive, and often buses are very crowed.

If you child is to study in Nanshan district, I would suggest you live in Nanshan and travel to work.

DallasCowboys · Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

Gary,

Appreciate your info. That's very helpful. I was told that taking taxi from
Bantian back to Nanshan (or central district) can be a problem since the
green taxi cannot go to the central district. Although I really do not want
to drive in Shenzhen after seeing how people drive in Beijing, I am
considering the option of buying a car just for the convenience. Do you
know if a car is expensive in Shenzhen like those in Hongkong (I believe
HongKong used to tax up to 150% of the car value - well that was long
time ago before I left HK to the States). Roughly how much will a car (sedan)
cost in Shenzhen?

Thanks....

DallasCowboys · Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

Gary,

Appreciate your info. That's very helpful. I was told that taking taxi from
Bantian back to Nanshan (or central district) can be a problem since the
green taxi cannot go to the central district. Although I really do not want
to drive in Shenzhen after seeing how people drive in Beijing, I am
considering the option of buying a car just for the convenience. Do you
know if a car is expensive in Shenzhen like those in Hongkong (I believe
HongKong used to tax up to 150% of the car value - well that was long
time ago before I left HK to the States). Roughly how much will a car (sedan)
cost in Shenzhen?

Thanks....

Gary · Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 11:59 am Post subject: Car in ShenZhen

You are right, driving experience in ShenZhen could be very difference from that of Hongkong and other western countries, as people there often do not follow the triffic lights or signs. Although I don't drive myself.

If you can be statisfied by local made car, the price a reasonable family car could range from RMB120,000 to RMB200,000 depends on which brand and the horse power. Say for example, Corrolla (not sure if the spelling is correct) by Toyota with 1800cc, it costs about RMB180,000.

Nicolechen · Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 5 Home Country: NULL

For a domestic helper will depend on what service you required,
if its only cleaning the apartment, its about 500rmb/M(weekend off).
cleaning+cooking about 1000rmb/M.

you can check with the local domestic helper company nearby your apartment, they also offer english speaking helper as well, but the price is much higher.

Nicolechen · Joined: 01 Apr 2007 Posts: 5 Home Country: NULL

For a domestic helper will depend on what service you required,
if its only cleaning the apartment, its about 500rmb/M(weekend off).
cleaning+cooking about 1000rmb/M.

you can check with the local domestic helper company nearby your apartment, they also offer english speaking helper as well, but the price is much higher.