| xyzah,
Let me add my two cents your question of if Shanghai is an expensive place to live. I lived in Taipei for six years prior to moving to Shanghai three years ago, so I know what cost of living is like in both cities. As Jianshuo already briefly replied to you, it all depends on your standard of living - Where you want to live, the size of the accomandation and amentities of the apartment complex, what and where you would eat, and your life style. In general, living cost in SH is much lower than that in Taipei. Hmmm...I'll say it's about one third of the cost. Food costs are definitely lower, perhaps 1/3 to 1/4 of what you would pay in Taipei for similar type of foods in similar type of restaurant. Bear in your mind though. You will probably earn less money teaching English here. I did a lot of private tutoring in Taipei while living there. I charged NT1,000(USD30) per hour for one student, or NT$1,200 for two students, I had more requests than I would wanted. I don't know how much English teachers are paid here, but from reading some forum posts, I gathered that many English teachers condiser themselves lucky if they are paid 100-200 RMB per hour. Therefore, you will likely make far less money here. So, it will be a wash. Before you quit your job in Taipei, I suggest that you come out to Shanghai for a visit to check out living conditions and living costs yourself. Do talk to other English teachers here to see what they have to say. Other than living expenses, I think you should also take into considerations for other aspects, such as health care facilities, traffic conditions, environment in which you live and work closeby, and people's mentalities here. After you have a chance visiting SH and make comparisons yourself, then I hope you can make the right decision whether to come or not. Tamie |
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