"Permanent" Apartment

Settling into Shanghai

Over the weekend we made our move to the place we intend to call home for at least the next year, if not for our entire stay while in Shanghai. The apartment offers very nice western amenities including on-demand water heater, oven, washer/dryer, central heat/air, double-paned windows, and more. The complex is extremely convenient to all "Green City" amenities of JinQiao, but with the convenience comes traffic noise; barring that, the apartment is ideal.


This move was by far our easiest given we had a total of 14 boxes and luggage. At the moment the interior is quite institutional, but as our knowledge and explorations of the city evolve so should our nest. The trick will be marrying Asian aesthetics with our vast collection of Mexican wares.

A little bit about the cost of expat housing; in a word - expensive. But housing costs in Shanghai, just like anywhere else, boil down to location and amenities, and we have it all. Ranking in the top 25 most expensive places to live in the world, Shanghai's cost of living expenses are comparable to NYC. Having moved from western NC, we are forced to redefine some lifestyle choices in order to maintain our home-country budget. A large cost for us is keeping and maintaining our house in the states. We may revisit the decision to keep our house next year.

Upon possession of the new apartment we discovered we would be without Internet for 2 days, and it's only then that I felt the first twangs of anxiousness. The Internet is my lifeline to the 'real world'. If it were not for the technological advances that allow me to stay close to loved ones I don't know that I could be a happy expat. As it is I blog, email, IM, tweet, wall, SMS, skype and photobucket my way to loved ones daily. Add Internet technology to our wonderful new digs and life is pretty super in Shanghai!