Planning to live in Shanghai or staying longer term? This guide covers the essentials useful tips for living in Shanghai, from getting around and paying for things to shopping, apps, and practical tips you’ll actually use. You’ll also want easy access to supermarkets in Shanghai, especially if you plan to cook at home.
Quick Start
- Essential apps in Shanghai
- Buying imported food in Shanghai
- Getting around the city
- Basic Chinese phrases
- Where to eat in Shanghai
- Budget cocktails in Shanghai
Payments
Living in Shanghai is almost entirely cashless. In day-to-day life, most people pay using Alipay or WeChat Pay, whether it’s for taxis, supermarkets, restaurants or even small street vendors.
Even things like splitting bills, booking tickets or ordering food are handled inside these apps, so once you’re set up, everything becomes much easier.
As a visitor or expat, you can now link foreign bank cards to both apps. Setup is usually straightforward, but it can take a bit of trial and error depending on your bank.
Cash is still accepted in theory, but in practice it’s rarely used and often inconvenient. Some places may not have change, and others may prefer mobile payment only.
For everyday life, getting Alipay or WeChat Pay working should be one of your first priorities.
If you’re new to these apps, see our essential apps in Shanghai guide for a quick overview of how they work and what you’ll use them for when visiting or living in Shanghai.
Grocery Shopping in Shanghai
Grocery shopping in Shanghai is easier than most newcomers expect, but the landscape is different from back home. Large local supermarkets like Hema and RT-Mart are everywhere and handle everyday staples well, but if you’re looking for imported food — cheese, decent bread, wine, Western breakfast cereals — you’ll need to know where to go.
For expats, the most useful options are City Shop, City Super and the imported sections of higher-end supermarkets like Jiu Guang. Online grocery delivery is also excellent in Shanghai, with same-day and next-day options that are far cheaper and faster than most Western cities.
Wet markets are worth knowing about too — they’re the best place for fresh vegetables, meat and seafood at local prices, and most neighbourhoods have one within walking distance.
Our supermarket guide covers all the main options, or jump straight to:
Housing
Where to find apartments
It’s common to use agents to find somewhere to live. Be clear about your requirements, but expect to be shown properties that don’t fully match. It’s best to be direct rather than accept somewhere you’re not happy with. Sometimes they’ll show lower-quality options first in the hope you accept one.
There are also a few apps and websites for apartment searching such as SmartShanghai which has a housing section.
Typical Rental Terms
Rent is usually paid monthly, with a one or two-month deposit. In practice, you’ll often need to prepare around three months’ rent upfront. Try to minimise the deposit where possible, as landlords can be slow to return it. If you’ve only paid one month’s deposit, that’s the most you stand to lose. Where the rental amount is low, it is sometimes required to pay 6 months in advance but this is more common with local tenants with rents of just a few thousand RMB per month.
Commission is usually paid by the landlord, but tenants are sometimes asked to cover part of it (for example, 50% of one month’s rent). Clarify this early to avoid disputes.
Where To Live
Where you live depends on your lifestyle. Jing’an is popular with younger singles and couples, with plenty of bars, restaurants and expat-friendly apartments.
Families often look further out for more space, with areas like Hongqiao and Gubei in the west, or Jinqiao in Pudong, being popular choices.
Temporary Residence Registration
Chinese law requires everyone to register with the local authorities whenever the arrive, move house or renew their visa. If you stay in a hotel, the hotel takes care of this. However, if you stay with a friend or you have your own apartment, you have to do this yourself. This needs to be done at the specific branch of the Public Security Bureau that is assiggned to your address, not any location. The good news is that you can also do this online by filling in this form.
Healthcare
General Medical Services
There are several international clinics and hospitals in Shanghai with English-speaking staff. Here are a few commonly used by expats.
It’s also useful to have a few basic Chinese phrases when booking appointments or describing symptoms.
Parkway China
Parkway has several clinics and a main hospital in Shanghai.
1172 Jile Road, Minhang District, Shanghai
上海市闵行区季乐路1172号
Phone: 400-819-6622
Jiahui
Jiahui is in my opinion a fantastic option. They have a few satellite clinics and a huge hospital that covers almost every medical department. Below are the details for the main hospital location.
689 Guiping Road, Xuhui District, Shanghai
上海市徐汇区桂平路689号
Phone: 400-868-3000
Huashan Hospital
This is a local hospital but it does have an international clinic with English speaking staff.
12 Wulumuqi Zhong Lu, near Huashan Lu, Jing’an District
乌鲁木齐中路12号, 近华山路
Phone: (021) 5288 9999
Dentist
Regular dental checks are important, especially in a city where you may not have an emergency contact.
Aidencare Dental Clinic
I’ve used Dr Oscar Sum at Aidencare for over a decade and wouldn’t go elsewhere.
Gubei SOHO 30th Floor, 188 Hongbaoshi Road, Changning District, Shanghai
Phone: +86 191 1738 6506
Physiotherapy (Physical Therapy)
I only have one recommendation here, but it’s a good one:
The Clinic
I unfortunately have recently had cause to seek out some physiotherapy and after asking around, The Clinic (a somewhat confusing name) was one of the top recommendations from several people.
118 Jiashan Road, Building B, 5th Floor, Suite A501
徐汇区嘉善路118号5楼A501室
Phone: (021) 3368 8801
Fitness / Gyms
Gym quality varies widely. Some are excellent, others less so, so it’s worth trying before committing.
Avoid long memberships unless you’re confident. Short-term or monthly options are safer.
I’m currently using Z&B Fitness which has quite a few locations and the membership allows you access to most but not all locations. This might be useful if say, you have one near home and one near your workplace.
Current cost is 3699 RMB for 11 months (335 days), but you can freeze the membership twice per membership year by paying 100 RMB each time, if say, you are away for an extended period. This is for a daytime pass with entry until 4pm, which suits me. If you need all day access the cost increases to 4,999 RMB.
Education
Most expats choose international schools, although some opt for local schools or hybrid options. Broadly, there are three types:
International Schools
These follow Western curricula such as British, American or IB. Well-known names include YK Pao, Dulwich College, the British International School and Shanghai American School.
Fees are high, often around RMB 300,000 per year, but facilities and teaching standards are generally excellent.
International Divisions of Local Schools
These are local public schools with a separate stream for international students. Teaching is usually in English, but the overall environment is more mixed.
Examples include Shanghai High School International Division and Fudan International School. Fees are significantly lower than international schools, typically around RMB 80,000–100,000 per year.
Chinese Private Schools
These offer a mix of Chinese and international curricula and are often positioned between the two options above in both cost and approach.
YK Pao is a well-known example. Expect fees in the region of RMB 150,000 per year.
Entertainment
There’s no shortage of things to do in Shanghai, from concerts and exhibitions to sporting events and seasonal festivals like the Chinese Grand Prix. For more ideas, see our full guide to things to do in Shanghai.
For listings and what’s on, sites like SmartShanghai are useful.
TV / Streaming
Streaming in China can be inconsistent due to licensing and restrictions. For example, BBC iPlayer usually detects when VPNs are being used and blocks access. International platforms don’t always work as expected, so many people use a mix of local services and alternative solutions like TV boxes.
What Surprises Most Newcomers
- You rarely need cash
- Delivery is incredibly fast and cheap
- Almost everything is done through apps
- Most things cost significantly less than back home
Once you’ve got the basics sorted, explore our guides to where to eat in Shanghai, things to do, and day trips from the city.