Relocation and Mobility for China

 With expert input from Helene Sini, a RelocateYourself partner in China

While many businesspeople do business with China, they may not actually relocate there. If you do find yourself moving to China for work, here are some tips to help you. 

Housing

It is not difficult to find housing in the major cities of China. It may be hard, however, to find something you like. Prices are high and the housing could very well be worse than what a person could get for a lot more money at home. To find housing standards you are used to in the West, it will be high-end housing in China. There are markets for locals and markets for expats. Most expats want to be in the expat housing since it was built and designed for expat standards.  Keep this in mind as you budget to live in China.

Utilities

It is easy to set up utilities in China. Foreigners cannot have utilities in their name (assuming they don’t own the property). Instead, they will be in the owner’s name. You will get a bill in your mail and pay it yourself. You can pay bills online or at convenience stores that take payments.

Rent or purchase?

Most people rent property in China because they are generally coming for a limited period of time. And although China recently (2015) loosened some of the restrictions on foreigners purchasing property in China, it is still a difficult and long process. Furthermore, Chinese cities, Shanghai for example, and provinces still can and do have different and often more strict restrictions in place. Therefore, most people rent and then look into buying if they know they are going to stay longer.

Health insurance and healthcare

Foreigners in China generally get international insurance and seek facilities offering western healthcare. In the Chinese healthcare system, a person can’t make appointments with doctors, go to the hospital to see a doctor, and don’t have much privacy. The alternative is to use the expat healthcare system. This system will cost more, but it will also offer much better care, better support, and help you better maintain your overall health. International healthcare is available only in larger 1st and 2nd tier cities, so if you live in smaller cities, you may have to travel or even fly to larger cities to get care.

Medications

You must speak Chinese to work with pharmacies. Some medications are not available in China, so it’s very important that you verify that the medicine you need (especially for things such as severe diabetes or cancer treatments) are available before you go. Some people find they cannot relocate to China because of existing health conditions, so it’s very important that you are aware before you commit.