Beijing at a Glance

Beijing: Residential Areas and Housing

Most expats settle in Chaoyang District.

Are you an expat moving to Beijing? If so, you’ll surely need some practical support and information. Let InterNations help you! We provide you with a general introduction to the city plus some practical tips on visa, housing, and more. Your adventure of moving to Beijing begins here!

Mapping the City

The municipality of Beijing covers a surface of nearly 17,000 km² and is divided into six urban or inner districts, eight metropolitan or outer districts, and two rural counties. Moreover, Beijing’s denizens also measure the distance of any place from the city center by describing its location relative to the concentric ring roads.

It might be confusing for strangers that there is no first ring road at all. It is a purely imaginary line that would include the historical core of Beijing, i.e. the Forbidden City and Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace. The 2^nd Ring Road circumscribes the city limits of 1949 while Beijing’s urban sprawl is now spilling beyond Ring Road No 6. A 7^th Ring Road is being planned.

Residential Areas

According to the official 2010 census, there are about 92,000 foreign residents currently living in Beijing. Other sources, however, estimate the number of foreigners in Beijing at up to 180,000.

Many expats live somewhere in Chaoyang District. Cháoyángqū covers a large area to the east of the city center, which stretches from the 2^nd to the 5^th Ring Road and includes the Central Business District, the embassy area, international schools, the expressway to the international airport, and expat shopping favorites such as Metro, Carrefour, and IKEA. Within Chaoyang, lots of expatriates settle in the CBD, in Sanlitun, or Wanjing, home to Beijing’s sizable South Korean community.

Shunyi, the district to the northeast of Chaoyang and far beyond the Fifth Ring Road, is already quite far from the city center, but it’s also close to the airport, and many expats appreciate it for its quiet, suburban atmosphere as well. International students mainly opt for the Wudaokou neighborhood in Heidian District.

Expat Housing

Unless they are provided with company housing or have been house hunting during a prior fact-finding trip, well-to-do expatriates prefer to stay in hotel suites or serviced apartments for the first few weeks. If you have a financial cushion or a generous allowance, this might be a good opportunity to explore the real estate market in Beijing.

Although the restrictions on foreigners purchasing property and freely choosing their own accommodation in Beijing have been lifted, many expats still find it most convenient to rent a place in developments catering to the international community. (Diplomats and journalists often reside in officially designated living quarters.)

These residential communities or compounds include high-rise buildings, low-rise apartment blocks, or in the more suburban areas of Chaoyang and Shunyi, free-standing family villas too. The great advantages of these residential developments, with mellifluous names such as Dragon Villas, River Garden, Beijing Riviera, or Leman Lake, are their numerous amenities: Many offer on-site English-speaking management staff, security, furnished rooms, facilities for shopping, dining, and sports, and a shuttle service to international schools or transport hubs in the area.

Nowadays, some foreign nationals also move into Beijing’s traditional courtyard houses. However, be aware that the property management staff is unlikely to speak English and that the standard of living in such a house will be more modest than in Western-style properties.

Cost of Accommodation

Expat housing in Beijing may be more expensive than what you expect or are used to. The city didn’t rank no. 16 in the Mercer International Cost of Living Study 2010 for nothing. Although it dropped to no. 20 in the 2011 survey, it is still not cheap.

Prices can rise sharply depending on the location, the living standards, and the size of your new place. For instance, a three-bedroom villa in an expatriate compound might cost at least 25,000 RMB per month. (Also take into consideration that your real estate agent expects a commission of one or two monthly rents.)

Alien Registration

One last reminder: After moving into your new place, don’t forget to re-register with the Beijing police. (Again.) If you previously stayed in a hotel, then the staff will have taken care of this for you beforehand. The building management of an expat compound may also help you with such administrative matters. As a normal tenant, though, you have to go to the nearest police station within 24 hours of your change of address. Bring along the following: