Anyone been to Shenzhen China?

Question

I am looking at a job in Shenzhen in the spring, but I would like more information on it first. Has anyone lived or worked there? I read that it is an amazing place, but what you read is not necessarily accurate.
How is the cost of living?

Answer 1

I have been there a couple times in the past few years. Shenzhen does seem like an amazing place! It is a very new city - literally only 30-40 years old, but it has grown a ton and there is tons of new development ongoing - beautiful skyscrapers, more and more train/subway stations and infrastructure, new parks, and I know a huge kids theme park is being constructed or was recently finished. I think at least a couple million people live in Shenzhen now.

Also, Shenzhen is only about an hour away from Hong Kong....however compared to Hong Kong, which has a cost of living similar to that of Manhattan, Shenzhen is such a bargain! The cost of living and the amount it you would pay for rent is literally at least 4-5 times cheaper in Shenzhen than it is in Hong Kong. Macau is nearby too, which is a cool place to check out and full of casinos - pretty much is the Vegas of Asia.

Answer 2

I haven't lived in Shenzhen, but have been there on business a number of times from where I live in Shanghai. It is a large, growing city with a new international airport. Originally, it was built up to be a gateway between Hong Kong and the mainland with a lot of industry, but is now a diverse city. The cost of living is much cheaper than Hong Kong or Shanghai (my hotel there was 1/3 the price of a comparable hotel in Shanghai). Be aware, though, that while clothing and food prices are low in China, housing can be expensive. Shenzhen is much safer and better than, say, Dongguan.

Answer 3

I lived in Shenzen in 1999. I've been there since and it is much better bigger and more developed now. It's a modern city, but it still has far less culture than either Beijing or Shanghai. Most of the people in Shenzhen are transplants from elsewhere in China, and they all speak Mandarin. It's right across from Hong Kong, so I used to go there all the time to get more of a Western fix. In fact, people commute both ways. There aren't nearly as many expats as there are in Hong Kong, Beijing or Shanghai. This can actually be a good thing.

Renting is very cheap-- not owning. And everything else is cheap. Because it has people from all over China, the food is very good.

Shenzhen is geographically very large, so it's good to know which district your company is located in. Futian is clean and modern-- best. Luohu is a dive, but it's next to Hong Kong. Shekou has lots of expats because it's the port, but it's very boring. The others, which I forgot their names, are outside the Special Economic Zone and really not much happening there.

Answer 4

I move to Shenzhen a few months ago.

rent: USD $ 400-500 for nice area for 1-2 bedroom apartment.
dinner at a nice restaurant: USD $30 for 2 people.
utility: within USD $20 per month

public transportation can be a problem, since people don't know English.

Shenzhen is next to hong Kong, and you can travel to Hong Kong within an hour.

Hong Kong people speak English adn much open minded, so you can always go shopping in Hong Kong or visiting attraction.

Answer 5

It's not easy to find REAL veg food in China as Chinese don't have that concept in their culture. The fries in McDonalds are not real vegetarian either since McD uses a blended fry oil that contains animal fats too. Once choice would be to find some Indian restaurants, they can serve real veg food. Another option is to allow some flexibility with Chinese food as you will often find some meats in your supposed to be veg food.