mushroomheadd

I have been offered a possible position in Shanghai at the end of this year...

If we move, we will be moving with 2 kids and a Dog...

In the UAE finding a place to live with a a small yard for the Dog to run about in was hard - but I am guessing that Shanghai may be even more of an Apartment City than Dubai or Abu Dhabi?

Are there any members who have lived in Shanghai and can advise us on the likelihood of finding such a place - without it being a crippling cost?

We don't need acres of space - just a ground floor apartment with some yard-space and secure fence...

Also - what is the situation with Income Taxes for expats in China?

andrewrh

I don't live in Shanghai, but you might have some luck on this site :


http://www.shanghaiexpat.com/phpbbforum/

Regarding taxes, they are similar or a little higher than UK, depending on your income. You will also pay tax on any benefits, including accomodation, unless your employer covers it. If you are paid in your own country's currency, then converting into RMB, exchange rates mean the taxes are lower now, but earnings are also lower !

Emily B

Depends on your dog... Big dogs are banned from downtown. They do have crackdowns every so often. Pudong and Minhang burbs should be fine. You do need to get a dog licence. You can contact Jialiang to help you with your paperwork for importing your dog.

mushroomheadd

Hi - That is handy information. Sorry to sound ignorant - but, who or what is Jialiang?

Emily B

Jialiang is the big main kennels in Shanghai.

http://www.jialiang.com/main/cn.htm

Ask for Jenny and she can help you sort out the rules for import, which are quite straight forward.

You can get houses btw with yards, but more your issue could be around what breed is your dog?? The bigger the dog, the more dictates where you want to live. The bigger the dog, the more likely you need to figure out how to obtain your dog license and some breeds are banned (but not necessarily absolutely - it is China - nothing is quite absolute!)

Emily B

Sorry, I just reread my post. Off course, some things are absolute in China.

Anyway, you can look at apartment buildings in Pudong which may come with yards.

Apartments in Shanghai and their costs all vary. So, you could pay a ridiculous amount or less than a thousand US a month.

As for taxes, you get a personal tax allowance, then depending on how your package is structured your taxable amount, maybe lowered by things such as accomodation costs, or children's private schooling.

Unless your company is covering private schooling, then it is cost of school fees not accomodation that is a real killer. Most of the International Schools charge 25K US per annum per child. Ouch!!

HK2UK

Also, just in case there are any possibilities of moving back to the UK I don't think your dog can fly from China to the UK without the 6 month quarantine as China are not included on the PET scheme.

That also includes if you move to other countries as China are in the category lll list so a lot of places will not allow your dog to enter without some quarantine (i.e it would be 4 months if you moved to Hong Kong).

HK2UK

whoops, sorry didn't see this was ages ago. You've most likely moved to China by now!

shakh your bootie

Oh well - at least your intentions were good!