Living Expense

Living Expenses at Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Living Expenses At One Glance
Type Item Minhang Campus Xuhui Campus
Housing On-campus (single room) 7000-9800 yuan/sem. 9800 -10500 yuan/sem.
On-campus (double room) 4800-5400 yuan/sem. 4900 yuan/sem.
Off-campus (two-room apmt.) 2000-4000 yuan/month 3500-4500 yuan/month
Living Expenses Living expenses
(excluding housing costs)
1000 -1200 yuan/month 1200-1400 yuan/month
 
Living Expenses Breakdown
Type Item Minhang Campus Xuhui Campus
Food & Drinks On-campus dining 5-8 yuan/ meal 5-8 yuan/meal
Delivery 10-20 yuan/meal 10-30 yuan/meal
Off-campus dining 10-20 yuan/meal 15-25 yuan/meal
Get-togethers 20-40 yuan/meal 40-60 yuan/meal
Total meal expenses 600-700 yuan/month 800-900 yuan/month
Drinking water 20 yuan/month 20 yuan/month
Transportation Xuhui-Minhang Shuttle 4 yuan/ticket
Metro 3-7 yuan/ticket
City bus 2-8 yuan/ticket
Taxi 14 yuan upon entry
Textbooks Domestic texts 30 yuan/text
Foreign texts 60-100 yuan/text
Imported texts <200 yuan/text
PPT printing costs 10 yuan/course/semester
Entertainment & Shopping Movies 50-100 yuan/ticket
Clothing 30-500/piece
Mobile phones <1200 yuan/phone
Computers <4000 yuan/computer
 
Housing

On-Campus Housing @ Minhang Campus

On-Campus housing is doubtless the top choice for students when living in Minhang. Minhang campus has five apartments for international students—Buildings No. 8, 9, 10, 12, and 51. Accommodations include a single bed, a desk, a closet, a bedside table, air conditioning, a television set, and a refrigerator. The bathroom is the biggest difference among the apartments. Rooms in Buildings No. 8, 9, and 10 are not unlike hotel rooms, with their own independent bathrooms. Buildings No. 12 and 51 are suite-style dormitories. Building No. 12 consists of three-room suites with one bathroom (including two latrines and one showering unit). Building No. 51 consists of four-room suites.

Minhang Campus International Student Apartment
Rent for Exchange Students (utilities not included)
Building Room Type Short-Term Long-Term
Less than 90 days
(yuan/day/person)
Less than a semester
(yuan/sem./person)
After the end of the semester
No. 8 Doubles 60 5400 Rent is calculated as short-term stays
Singles 110 9800
No. 9 Doubles 60 5400
No. 10 Singles 105 9500
No. 12 Doubles 50 4800
Singles 80 7000
No. 51 Doubles 50 4800
 
Rent for Degree Students (Utilities not included)
Building Room Type Rent
(yuan/semester/person)
Notes
No. 8 Doubles 5400 For those living in the dorms for two consecutive semesters, there is no extra rental charges for the winter or summer vacation during the period. For those living in the dorms for one semester only, rent is charged according to the short-term rates for exchange students.
Singles 9800
No. 9 Doubles 5400
No. 10 Singles 9500
No. 12 Doubles 4800
Singles 7000
No. 51 Doubles 4800

There are coin laundries on the first floor of every building—3 yuan for the washing machines and 5 yuan for the dryers. The dormitories also have clothes lines if you prefer your laundry sun-kissed.

Internet connection is provided free-of-charge. Electricity is charged separately. Each kilowatt-hour costs 0.617 yuan. There is a monthly six-kilowatt-hour subsidy for undergraduate students.

Off-Campus Living @Minhang Campus 

There are fully furnished apartments for rent outside of the campus. Just walk in with your bags, and you are instantly home! For the “Beioulijing” neighborhood, rent for a two-room apartment is approximately 2000 yuan per month. The more upscale “Haodifang” asks 3500 to 4000 yuan per month for two-room apartments. Utilities bills, internet connection, and television and telephone services are charged separately.

On-Campus Housing@Xuhui Campus 

The Xuhui Campus has two dormintory buildings: Lianxing Building and Building No. 9.

Xuhui Campus International Student Apartment

Building Short-Term
(less than 80 days)
(yuan/day/person)
Long-Term (more than 80 days)
A Semester or Less
(yuan/semester/person)
Summer & Winter Vacation
(yuan/semester/person)
Lianxing Singles—120 Singles—9800 Singles—120
No. 9 Singles—130 Singles—10500 Singles—130
Doubles—65 Doubles—4900 Doubles—65

Electricity not included. Each kilowatt-hour costs 0.617 yuan. There is a monthly six-kilowatt-hour subsidy for undergraduate students.

Off-Campusing Living @Xuhui Campus 

Located downtown, rent in the Xuhui area is comparatively higher than that in Minhang. The traditional-style two-room apartments go for around 3500 yuan per month and can be shared with two to three people. Higher-end apartments are available from 4000 yuan. Hurry up and grab a roommate!

Internet connection fees vary due to connection type (broadband or fiber optic) , bandwidth, and the service package. As a reference, your author’s fiber-optic connection charges 180 yuan per month.

The water, electricity, and natural gas bills vary according to the number of roommates, season, personal habits, and the type and efficiency of the apartment installations.

Each cubic meter of water costs 1.63 yuan. Each unit of natural gas costs 1.25 yuan. Electricity costs 0.617 yuan for every kilowatt-hour, and the 50%-off discount period starts from 10 PM to 6 AM in the next day.

As a reference, your author’s apartment currently houses three people. Monthly utilities cost 50 to 70 yuan for water, 80 to 120 yuan for electricity, and 100 to 150 yuan for natural gas.

Food & Drinks
 
On-Campus Dining @Minhang Campus

If you are looking for an affordable meal, look no further than the school cafeteria, and Minhang Campus has five of them. At 1 to 2 yuan for a vegetable dish, 2 to 4 yuan for a meat dish, and 0.22 yuan for one liang (50 grams) of rice, a filling meal can be had at 5 to 8 yuan. Even if you are a bona fide meat-lover with an insatiable appetite, 10 yuan would be more than enough! The cafeteria also offers noodles, wanton, fried rice, chow mein, and other meal sets.

Off-Campus Dining @Minhang Campus 

Minhang is a certified food paradise. Not only are there restaurants for every one of the “eight culinary traditions of China,” but also the Daxuelu Korean Restaurant, the Boshi BBQ, Piaoshi Korean Cuisin, Jiuzhou Ramen, and the Haijing’ge Southeastern Asian Cuisine—all of which are loved and frequented by international students. Here, the average cost per person is 20 to 40 yuan (alcoholic drinks not included). Remember to treasure your dining experience in Minhang! It won’t be so affordable anymore once you are in the Xuhui campus.

College life without food deliveries is not a complete college experience! Just order online, and your food will be on your doorsteps within thirty minutes! One meal costs 10 to 20 yuan. McDonald’s and KFC also offers delivery services for a flat fee.

w       Eleme Online Meal Service  www.ele.me
w       Xiaoyezi Delivery  www.xpfood.com
w       KFC  http://www.4008823823.com.cn
w       McDonald’s  https://www.4008-517-517.cn
 
On-Campus Dining @Xuhui Campus 

Compared to the Minhang Campus, food at the Xuhui cafeteria costs slightly higher, but the difference is negligible. Price for a meal ranges from 5 to 8 yuan.

Students of the Antai College of Economics and Management can choose to eat at the Fahua campus. The food is more...shall we say, dull? To put it more plainly, the dishes offered are the same every day. But where else can you find three-dish meals for 6 yuan?

Off-Campus Dining@Xuhui Campus 

Xuhui campus proves to be slightly lacking when it comes to everyday off-campus dining, offering less choices and at higher prices. The street outside of the gate at Panyu Road is lined with small eateries offering traditional Shanghainese food and Yunnan rice noodle. Be ready to pay at least 12 yuan for a decent meal. Farther down the road is a Sihaiyoulong Taiwanese Fried Dumpling chain restaurant where meals cost 15 yuan or so. By the gate at West Guangyuan Road are various chain restaurants such as Yonghe King, Sukiya, and Liufumiandao. Be ready to shell out 15 to 25 yuan per meal.

You can also eat to your heart’s content for 7 to 14 yuan at the convenience stores that dot the cityscape. C-Store offers a 40% discount after 6 PM, bringing the price down to as low as 4.8 yuan and putting the school cafeteria to shame.

The Hunan and Northeastern restaurants on Panyu Road are a good choice for get-togethers with friends and for a taste of China . Average expenditure per person is 40 to 60 yuan (excluding alcoholic drinks). You can also consider Ajisen Ramen on Huashan Road(40 yuan per person), sushi-go-round restaurant Sushi Express in MetroCity (6 yuan per plate), and Pizza Hut in MetroCity (20% discount with student I.D.). If you are feeling a little ritzy, try Charme and South Memory. Your taste buds are sure to be satisfied, but be prepared to get out that hundred-yuan bill!

 Of course, McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut are always obvious choices in food delivery for Xuhui campus .

w       KFC  http://www.4008823823.com.cn
w       McDonald’s  https://www.4008-517-517.cn
w       Pizza Hut  http://www.4008123123.com
Drinking Water

Have you ever drunk tap water in Shanghai? If so, you are probably willing to buy filtered water! A 18.9-liter bottle of water can be delivered to your door for as low as 10 yuan; it takes one person roughly two weeks to finish.

Transportation
w       School Shuttle. The Xuhui-Minhang shuttle costs 4 yuan per person. 
w       Metro. Ticket prices range from 3 to 7 yuan. 
w       City Bus. Ticket prices ranges from 2 to 8 yuan. 
w       Taxicabs. 14 yuan upon entry. The first three kilometers are free. 2.4 yuan is charged for every kilometer after. Rates are higher during the period from 11 PM to 5 AM the next day—18 yuan upon entry, and 3.1 yuan for every kilometer after the third kilometer.

Consider buying a Public Transportation Card. They can be used to pay for metro and bus tickets, for taxicabs, and for ferries. They can also be used in other participating cities.

Textbooks

Not ever course requires textbooks. Students can study from PowerPoint slides and other handouts. Should you choose to print them out, printing costs are approximately 10 yuan per class per semester.

If you opt for textbooks, domestic textbooks cost around 30 yuan. Foreign textbooks released by Chinese publishers, whether in Chinese or in the original English texts, can be purchased for 60 to 100 yuan. Imported textbooks costs 200 yuan or more.

Xueren Bookstore at Lianhua Life Center in the Minhang campus offers textbooks at a 15% discout and test-preparation material at a 20% discount. You can also shop at the used bookstore, also in Lianhua Life Center. Also consider ordering online, where texts can be found at even steeper discounts. Most online stores offer free delivery and payment-upon-delivery services.

w       Amazon  www.amazon.cn
w       DangDang.com  www.dangdang.com
w       360Buy.com   www.360buy.com
Living Necessities
Minhang Campus

If you are not too picky, most living necessities—toiletries, office supplies, etc.—can be purchased on campus. You can also shop at the Auchen Hypermarket by Dongchuan Road Metro Station. Expect to spend 30 yuan on average per month.

Xuhui Campus

There are several supermarkets around Xuhui campus. Prices are generally high; a jar of peanut butter may go for 3 to 4 yuan more in Xuhui! Shopping online is a good way to save some money. Yihaodian.com offers free delivery for purchases of more than 100 yuan.

Yihaodian  www.yihaodian.com
 
Shopping & Entertainment
>  Movies & Cinema. Ticket prices vary from 50 to 100 yuan, according to location and time. 
>  Fashion.  Clothes at Zara, H&M, Uniqlo, and Jack Jones can be purchased at 60 to 500 yuan a piece. If you are in the mood for bargaining, try shopping at the Qipu Road Shopping District, where a T-shirt can be had at 30 yuan, and 200 yuan would have you going home with a couple of full outfits!
>  Digital Devices.  Mobile phones are available from 1200 yuan, and computers from 4000 yuan. 
 
(By LI GENGNING)
[ 2014-07-14 ]