Quote: (08-28-2018 07:40 AM)66Scorpio Wrote:
I lived in Shenzhen for 3 years and just made my exit last month. The major reason was that my employer pissed me off so I found another job in Shandong with a 20%+ raise. The second reason is that I am Canadian and don't do well in the humid heat.
SZ is just south of the Tropic of Cancer and has only two seasons: hot and damn hot. Not too long ago I looked at the weather report and Toronto, my home town, was actually hotter than SZ: 90 degress compared to 88 degrees. However, the humidity in SZ was 85% compared to 40% in TO.
In terms of accomodation, I only dealt with hotels as my employer provided me with an apartment. For short term, there are hostels for as little as 4 bucks a night and they have "pod" hotels like you might have seen in Japan. Realistically you can get a budget hotel for about $15, something nicer and more comfortable for under $30, and 3-stars for about $45 (US dollars at today's exchange rate). The Sheraton Shenzhen is $220 a night (in Jinan where I live now, it is only 2/3rds the price).
An interesting option is the Angle Lovers Theme Hotel (google "lover's hotel Shenzhen" and it should be near the top of your hits). It is on Dongmen Road near the Cui Zhi station 7 stops from Luo Hu (south-east corner of the city and the border crossing to Hong Kong). It's pure cheese all the way with room themes including pirates, windmills, Hello Kitty and submarine adventures. Round beds and jacuzzis for two (perhaps 3) are par for the course. One room looks like a party room that at least four people could sleep in comfortably and have maybe 5 or 10 more guests. Rooms start at about $80 so it is just a one or two-night thing to have a bit of fun.
Talking to the locals, rental apartments are expensive (as much or even moreso than Shanghai) and real estate prices are insane, especially considering that you don't actually own your condo but get a weird 70 year lease from the government.
In terms of food, it depends on whether you "go native" or stick to western food, and if the former whether you can deal with a hi-carb/low-protein diet (with varying levels of fat - authentic Chinese food is much more oily and fatty than Can-Am Chinese food).
At a hole-in-the-wall noodle place you can get a big bowl of beef noodle soup (牛肉拉面 - niú ròu lā miàn) for less than $2. Dumplings (饺子 - jiǎo zi) are under $3. Same with fried rice (炒饭 - chǎo fàn) and various stir-fry combinations on steamed rice. An order of relatively lean beef or lamb will run you about $6. I would recommend the muslim places that you can identify by the arabic-looking script on the store-front sign, and the notable lack of pork on the menu. My other favourite is steamed buns (bao zi) which go for as little as a buck for half a dozen (which is more than enough for a meal).
McDonald's is just over $4 for a Big Mac meal. Low-quality steak dinners run from $7 to $10 but a good steak is at least $15 but really more like $40. A spread of curry for 2 in Futian is roughly $30 but there will likely be left-overs. Pizza is common but most Chinese pizza sucks. The worst thing about Pizza Hut in China is the pizza. It tends to be relatively expensive, say $15 for a large. Champion's Pizza probably has the best (other than the much more expensive, high-end places actually run by ex-pat Italians) and you can get a medium to-go for $6-$7.
A half litre of Coke is 45 cents, a litre of fresh milk (if you can find it) about $2.50. Preserved milk that can stay on the shelf for a long time (and tastes funny if it is not really, really cold) is more common and a bit less expensive. Bottled water (a must) is anywhere from 1 to 3 RMB (15 cents to 45 cents) for a half litre, as little as 45 cents for a litre and a half, and less than 15 cents a litre if you are buying the big, 18.9 litre jugs.
Western booze (say a 26-er of Bacardi) can be found for under $20
Agree with pretty much everything you wrote there. Best of luck in Shandong.