Tips about living costs and health insurance in Shanghai?

Expert Info

on 14 Jun 2017

Hello,

I got an offer from a company in Shanghai, Pudong district for 36K RMB per month and considering relocation with my wife and 2,5 yrs old kid. The company insurance only covers me and I'm looking for some information about the costs of insurance for my wife and kid. My kid has a special condition and had to have an angiography when he was born. Do you have any idea what would be the approx cost of insurance for my wife and kid?

I would be also glad if anyone has any idea about prices of English courses for expats (for my wife) and pre-school costs for my kid.

As for housing I saw in some websites that 3+1 houses in Pudong district are in about 12K RMB monthly fee. Do you think is it good?

I'm just trying to have a projection in my mind to see if I can survive with 36K RMB per month. I would be really glad if you can help me on this matters. Many thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Deniz

Brett Martindale on 19 Jun 2017 - 14:23

Hi Deniz,

First things first, you will want to sign up with a health insurance plan that is licensed in China. By this I mean that international insurance policies may cause problems as often support staff do not speak Chinese and they could have problems billing the country's healthcare institutions.

As a result of your knowing about your son's condition, that will most likely be taken into account when it comes to producing a quote. Because of the relatively poor standard of public healthcare in China, it is strongly recommended that you make sure you are covered for private and international hospitals.

I have compiled a short list of major health insurance companies in China. I suggest you have a read through in order to get a better idea of which policy suits you and your family best. They are CIGNA, Aetna, AXA TP, Ping An Health, MSH, Bupa, Allianz and Now Health.

Average cost for plans obviously can fluctuate greatly (between 5,000 RDM to 20,000 RDM), depending on the individual. You could seek assistance from an independent broker who will help you finalise the correct policy. Hopefully you can start to calculate a predicted cost of living figure soon.

With regards to your family learning English, English First would be a good company to start checking into. They have around 50 years of experience in the industry and appear to be based across Shanghai. There are options for both child and adult classes. Wall Street English is another choice, boasting 40 years of existence.

Because China is a favourite destination for those wanting to teach English as a second language, you shouldn't struggle when finding a place for your wife and child to learn English.

From browsing a few property portals (Shanghai Realty and Joanna Real Estate), I think that around 14,000 RMD would be a good estimate for an affordable, two to three-bedroom home in Pudong. But it just depends if you manage to secure a good deal, of course.

Hope this basic information helps a little.

Brett

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