Shanghai is geographically divided by Huangpu River into the Western district Puxi and the Eastern district Pudong.

Location
Historically, most expatriates chose to live in Puxi because of the proximity to the many office towers and business districts, the convenience of living within walking distance to restaurants, grocery stores and shopping malls, and the charm of being surrounded by historic Shanghai tree-lined streets, and low-rise European-style architecture.  The most popular neighborhoods include the Former French Concession area, Xintiandi area (located in Luwan district), the Jing'an Temple area (located in Jing'an area), Gubei / Hongqiao area (located in Changning district near the domestic airport),  and the Hongmei road area (located in Minhang district), and the XuHui Garden area (located in the XuHui district).

Recently however, a growing number of expatriates, especially those who work in the Lujiazui or Jinqiao business districts, or who have children attending one of the international schools, choose to live in Pudong to avoid the heavy traffic crossing over from Puxi. Many multi-national companies have their head-quarters in PuDong and more are expected to move in the coming years. Another attraction is that most of the property in PuDong is newly built and often tailored to a Western style of living.  County clubs, sport facilities, restaurants, and shopping malls have all sprung up in PuDong, to cater to the new group of expatriates who prefer to live a typical westernized life in like-minded communities.

Property Type
Housing for expatriates in Shanghai covers a wide spectrum of building styles, environments, and price ranges.  The most common types of property are grouped into new developments (new villas, new apartments, serviced apartments) and historic residences (old garden houses, lane houses, old colonial style apartments).  The new properties in the city generally have 24-hour management and security services, with modern club facilities onsite. 
Most of the historic properties have restored the original architecture styles, and are hidden away along quiet tree lined streets.

Rents
There are essentially three price brackets for expatriate rental property. The lower band ranges from US$1,500 – US$3,000 per unit per month; the middle band ranges from US$3,000 – US$5,000 per unit per month; and the higher band usually ranges from US$5,000 – US$10,000 per unit per month.  The rental rate for expatriate-housing properties varies significantly based on location, quality, property management, and incorporated facilities/amenities of the properties.

At NewPort Real Estate, our agent's extensive knowledge and experience in the Shanghai Real Estate Market will assist you finding the perfect home away from home.