Want to see some pictures of the apartment I live in?  See below.  Since I’m no longer at MS and am trying to work for myself, I’m a little low on cash flow.  So, I’ve moved into a cheaper place and am rooming with a former colleague of mine.  Actually, it was an easy transition since we’re both very low key.  I do sorta miss the privacy, but it’s not bad at all, and can be fun at times.  Anyway, I had a housing budget at Microsoft.  Actually, it was super high, until I brought it down to the reasonable level and negotiated the difference into a cash bonus instead – haha!  But anyway, my place was about 8000RMB before, which is almost $1200.  That’s pretty high end for Shenzhen (which is already an “expensive” city for China).  My place was really big too – 3 bedrooms.  Much to much for me, but I picked it because it was the cleanest place I found in a neighborhood that I knew.  The landlord turned out to be fantastic too.  She even dropped the price way down (to 5500, I think) when I announced that I had to move out (just before coming to the US for the summer).

Anyway, there were a couple of ‘hoods that we thought about moving to.  In the end, we ended up finding a place in “Hai An Cheng”, or “Coastal City” which is the name of a big mall near here.  It’s a nice area; the mall attracts a lot of high end businesses and restaurants and there is still plenty of local flavor.  There are way more local restaurants and stores that I can quickly get to now than before.  The only downside is that it’s not close to a subway.  But, I’ve found the key busses that can take me where I need to go.  Some are quite fast.  Who needs a car?

The rent is 3500RMB a month, about $500.  Split in two, that’s $250 per month.  Not too shabby.

[View with PicLens]

I have a Filippino friend down the street whom I’m jealous of.  He’s got the best place for the money I’ve ever seen.  A very cozy apartment that matches roughly the same dimensions as mine.  But, a sweet kitchen and a well-designed bathroom too.  It’s only 3000RMB.  If he moves out, I’m jumping on that place without waiting.