Comments on NYx2: Rent Comparison - Shanghai vs. NYC

You got a great deal! I moved uptown last summer b...

2009-01-19T17:32:00.000-05:00

You got a great deal! I moved uptown last summer because East Village had gotten so expensive - but it sounds like rentals have dropped a lot since then. I know the painful feeling of moving from semi-luxury in China to NY rentals, too - it's a bit rough for a while. $400 in Beijing vs. $1,350 in the Village. Tough transition.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkon...

2009-01-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/15/garden/15hongkong.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Perhaps you'd like a 344 sq. ft. apartment with 24 layouts!

Your Shanghai appartment looked cutter to me, but ...

2009-01-15T05:33:00.000-05:00

Your Shanghai appartment looked cutter to me, but there's no doubt that the "heater factor" counts for a lot!! I almost froze to death last winter in Shanghai!

The heating in your NYC apartment is a winner for ...

2009-01-14T12:52:00.000-05:00

The heating in your NYC apartment is a winner for me too! Where did you live in Taiwan and how was the heating situation there? I imagine it was more like NYC than Shanghai.

hi lllyria,

Yeah I didn't bring much with m...

2009-01-14T10:30:00.000-05:00

hi lllyria,

Yeah I didn't bring much with me, so that's how I did the move inexpensively. Actually, although NYC is said to be expensive, I think it's one of the easier/cheaper places to move, as you can easily just rent a room from someone, everybody does it, and you don't need a car. Basically all you need is some clothes, a foam, and a bit o cash, and you're good to go.

The book! Oh i can't see it clearly but at the time i took this pic I was reading Hunter S. Thompsons "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Train in '72". It was pretty good! It was like this old 1970s copy I found at my friend's place. I'm a book nerd too!

bababardwan,

I never iron either!!! :D

light487,

I think living 6 years in Asia makes a girl a lot lower maintenance.

Completely agree with the making beds thing;waste ...

2009-01-14T02:01:00.000-05:00

Completely agree with the making beds thing;waste of time [though it was made out to be so important when I was growing up].I also think ironing is a waste of time and energy and will buy iron free clothes where possible and will wear unironed clothes when I think I can get away with it.Just doing my bit for the energy crisis.

Since there was a DA about moving in China, how do...

2009-01-14T00:11:00.000-05:00

Since there was a DA about moving in China, how does one go about efficiently and inexpensively moving their belongings across continents? :)

Never been to Shanghai, but from what I read on the CPod forums, there didn't seem to be a huge variety of international food readily available. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I think the fact that there are so many cultures present in New York, and subsequent cuisine available, makes it come out ahead for me. :)

The book nerd in me had to ask...what book are ya reading (the one on the foam)?

I liked your Shanghai villa more but no heat kinda...

2009-01-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

I liked your Shanghai villa more but no heat kinda sucks.. I can completely understand where you're coming from on that front. I would like to comment though on the difference in pay/wages though and curious to know whether the $439/mth equates to the same as $1000/mth when this is taken into account?

I know that when I look at the average wage for a foreigner in China (~8000RMB/mth) that I could certainly not live in Australia on that amount but could live VERY comfortably in China on that amount.. may be not in Beijing/Shanghai but certainly in any of the other major cities. So I'm curious as to the comparison here..

I am surprised by your ability to make do with what you have (or haven't as the case may be).. not being sexist here but all the girls I know wouldn't set foot in a place that had a foam mattress for a bed.. but may be that is just Australian girls for you..

I also don't need a lot to live comfortably.. but certainly heat is a high priority.. :)

I'm with you on the making the bed thing - rea...

2009-01-13T20:12:00.000-05:00

I'm with you on the making the bed thing - really, what's the point? It's on my list of pointlessness alongside such entries as brushing your teeth before breakfast and paying extra for a view from a hotel room...

Your room & view looks like right result though!

hmmm...so, it´s cozy like hell now, but you have a...

2009-01-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

hmmm...so, it´s cozy like hell now, but you have a blue sky to watch...
Oh oh oh...well, I guess you´ll turn this room into a home in no time... (starting with fixing the lamp [or is it the wall that´s crooked?],next is a real bed is it?)...
Sorry if I´m harsh, I´m just sad to see that you have no bed to sleep...but as you said (wrote) you are armed with fearsome bargaining skills and your smile will open all doors 加油加油加油 ^_^

companero... No! That is, in fact, a $1 mug from ...

2009-01-13T16:49:00.000-05:00

companero... No! That is, in fact, a $1 mug from Zabar's... a jewish institution of deliciousness in NYC! It was, however, made in China!

re: hoarding cash... um, have you seen the exchange rate? yes I may have been hoarding but it doesn't translate into much ;)

You must've been hoarding cash in Shanghai.
Isn...

2009-01-13T16:24:00.000-05:00

You must've been hoarding cash in Shanghai.
Isn't that a Shanghai Starbucks mug on the floor? Do you have any others to show off to your visitors, e.g. Hangzhou, Beijing, Tianjin??
What about scrolls? Still in transit? Where will you practice calligraphy?? :-)

My girlfriend lives on the 6th floor - no elevator...

2009-01-13T15:48:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend lives on the 6th floor - no elevator, on Thompson street. She pays $1250 for her room, and it seems to be half the size of yours. So yeah, you got a pretty good deal.

Apparently there is a tradition to give your landlord money around Christmas time. I never heard of anything like that in Toronto. Must be a New York thing... But keep it in mind for next year. You'll be stuck giving the Landlord, the manager, the door man, and anyone else that works in the maintenance of the building that you've seen from time to time. (People in expensive apartments with several doormen, etc. usually say goodbye to a lot of cash - at $100/person)