Best areas to live in Zhuhai
Hello all,
I'm a Brazilian that has been living in Beijing for 4 years already and I'm thinking about moving to Zhuhai. I'm kind of tired of Beijing and for my business it would be much better to live in the south of China. Zhuhai seems like a quieter, cleaner and a nicer place to live.
I've been to Zhuhai once last year and just stayed in the city for few days so I don't really know a lot about the area. I already checked some other threads from this forum and also websites about Zhuhai but there are still many things that I would like to know.
First of all can you tell me which areas are nicer to live in? I just want to find an area that's clean and calm enough but also has everything near (bigger supermarkets, malls and so on). Would Jida be a good choice? I just walked around the area and kind of liked it.
I live in the west of Beijing and don'
Olá Ching,
Meu nome é Larissa, eu acabei de me mudar com meu noivo para Zhuhai semana passada. Conhecemos alguns brasileiros já, mas bem poucos. Eu morei em Shanghai por 4 anos e meio. Zhuhai é bem calmo, mas esse calor e a praia noa ajuda mto, e nos lembra nosso querido país, Brasil neh?!
Faça contato conosco. Estou atrás de uma Ayi, portanto estarei sempre olhando esse website.
Tudo de bom para vc!
Sounds like as you said, Jida is the best match for you.
Clean and modern - tick!
Major supermarket - tick! [Carrefour]
Live music - tick! [Live Bar]
Convenient for Shenzhen (by ferry) and Guangzhou (by bus)
It is, however, a relatively more expensive part of town.
Hi There!!
We live in Jida and there are many gardens that are peaceful and safe. Some are newer, some are older. We live about 10 min by cab to the biggest mall area in Zhuhai. Close proximity to the Macau land border and the sea port. Our garden is a bit old and we have mainly locals living here but everyone is extremely friendly, we have 2 supermarkets and 3-4 green markets within the garden, with very good prices for groceries and even small number of imported foods. Plus quite a few restaurants around the garden. I know quite a few foreigners living in Jida area (in other locations) and they are happy about their choice. My husband commutes to Nanping every day for work which is a bit far but we still prefer living here as all the hospitals and shopping are much closer by.
If you are interested in living around more foreigners, then Huafa area will be more interesting to you. Huafa New Century City is a new place with lots of fancy restaurants and more and more shops are opening. I believe they will have their own supermarket there soon (not sure how soon).
There is also Tanjia area, which is close to the entrance into Zhuhai. Gardens liks Costa Del Sol, Horizon Cove, Sunny Melody and few more are quite nice too but they are a bit far from the downtown.
I lived in Beijing for 4 years and before Zhuhai. I moved here in 2008. At that time I really missed all the comfort and the choice of shops and restaurants. But since I have a family here I think Zhuhai was the best choice by far for us and now it is developing as well and there are more and more places opening. It is also MUCH smaller than Beijing, MUCH cleaner (especially the air-wise), less traffic and the bus routes are very convenient - you can basically go anywhere by bus or by cab and it won't be so pricey. If you drive, it will be quite easy to figure out the roads (not like Beijing with its 1001 ring roads that are sooo confusing!).
There are few Latin American folks living here and I believe a few of them are from Brazil, so if you feel homesick you can always find someone to talk to. There is also Macau and HK so it's easy to hop over there for a change.
Larissa:
Não achei que ia receber uma resposta de alguém do Brasil tão rápido hahaha. Mantemos contato sim, eu estou planejando me mudar com a minha noiva pra Zhuhai mas acredito que no ano que vem. Você e o seu noivo ficam em Zhuhai até quando?
Abraço:
Henrique
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crispin:
Thanks! About the live bars I really wouldn't enjoy to live TOO close to one but it would be nice to have somewhere I could go once in a while and that is not so far.
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cheekygal:
Thank you very much for your tips! I live in an area full of locals so it doesn't really matter if the area has foreigners or not. From your description the area in Huafa is probably kind of overpriced and far from the city center, so maybe it wouldn't be a good choice for me. Tanjia is near the airport? I remember last year that I arrived at the Zhuhai aiport and took a bus to the city and it was kind of far so if it's that area maybe it wouldn't be a wise choice.
From what you spoke maybe Jida would still be the best choice. Gonbei is too busy and full of people, it wouldn't be much different from living at Beijing hahaha.
Tanjia is closer to Guangzhou. Huafa - to the airport. Actually it depends which Huafa and which phase you live in. Huafa New Town phase 1,2,3 has cheaper apartments as everyone is moving to phase 5 and Huafa New Century City.
In Jida, it really depends where you live. We live in Haiwan garden. The apartment rent here is still lower than in newer gardens. Just as an example: you can rent 84-95 sqm apartment for around 2400 RMB. But smaller size and simpler ones can be even under 2000. 100+ could be higher, depending on how recently the landlord decorated the apartment, what floor, what view.
There are a few gardens by the seaside with very reasonable rent (Haibin garden is one, and there is another really big garden close to Zobon hotel that has few sections - older sections are much cheaper, newer are more expensive; sorry, I don't remember all the names but some gardens have only 5 floor buildings without elevator. We almost rented a triplex 2 years ago only for 2300 but it was on 5th floor and needed some renovation which landlord was ready to do if we signed like 2 year contract minimum. It was really really nice but bus routes wise and with a small child we decided against it).
Anyway, even though Zhuhai is much smaller than Beijing, there are plenty of gardens where you can stay and feel secure. Btw, if you are going through an agency, the agent fee could be from 30 to 50% of 1 month's rent. And as you probably know, it is best to make sure you are signing with an actual landlord than with an agency. We did a mistake to sign with an agency and really had tough time making them follow the contract (even had to call the police once :-) ).
Tangjia is on the opposite end of Zhuhai from the airport, but it still far away from the city. To me it seems you can not live there unless that is where you work and are going to spend 98% of your time there, or you have a car.
Huafa New Town seems to have a lot of apartments available for rent and the rates seem pretty cheap to me. I have never liked the idea of living there because there isn't much there besides a thousand factories just down the road. That may be changing though as I hear that there is a big shopping center going in.
On the plus side for Huafa New Town, it has an excellent (though very expensive) gym and multiple swimming pools on site. Not to mention this is one of the most popular complexes for foreigners in Zhuhai, so you wouldn't feel so isolated (but that sounds like it is not a problem for you).
Gongbei is very busy, though as compared to Beijing or Shanghai, you might think it is pretty tame. If I were considering Gongbei, I would look at the new Huafa complex which is just across the river. I don't know about rates, but Huafa has a very good reputation in Zhuhai.
Having said all of that, I live in Jida and think it is the best place to live in Zhuhai. :-)
+1 for Gida
If you are rich (or wannabe) you should go to Huafa...that's where all the foreigners live or want to live. JiDa area is good, so is Xin Xiangzhou.
Sorry Gustavo, but not all of us live or want to live in Huafa, rich or not.
I hear ya doogs...it's not for everyone.
You don't have to be rich to live in Hua Fa, it's actually quite reasonable here and the services you get with the ground rent charges are good too! It's better if you have children though as they can play quite safely without being too close to the main roads.
The new restaurants at Century City (Hua Fa) are also becoming more established and it's location in relation to Gong Bei boarder crossing and Wan Zai Ferry port are quite convenient too! Plus with the opening of the new expressway it's easier to get to the airport!
So if you have children or just want convenient access to the main drag, but be able to pop in and out when you don;t want to be surrounded by loads of people Hua Fa CC or NT are nice places to live. I say that as there are actually a few other Hua Fa's in more central locations (the older Hua Fa's - there is even one in JIDA!!!!!) Taxi's are not exactly expensive really are they and you get the opportunity to be thrown around in the back of them because all the drivers think they are Alonso or Button!
However, if I didn't have children I would probably still want to live here, it's peaceful and I am from a small Welsh village where there are just pubs, a thousand or so people and plenty of sheep............ baa!
HUAFA!! HUAFA!! Paradise on Earth, God's gift to Zhuh
I'll add another vote for Jida.
One of the main reasons, for me, is that the pollution seems to clear away from here much faster than it does at Huafa. I think it might be the shape of the peninsula, that it blows away.
I live in one of the high rises at Haibin Huayuan. I doubt you would find a view like this anywhere in Huafa, though I wish they would clean the pools across the road.
Zobon Art Hotel is just down the road, which has a great pool and small, quiet gym; and Starbucks. Carrefour is about 1km away, and parking (monthly, undercover) isn't too expensive. I find it quieter than Gongbei, but much more convenient. It is also just a short drive to Chaoyang market, which has a better variety than any of the seafood streets, IMHO. As there are international hotels both sides of the complex, there are always taxis hanging around, if you need them.
Michael's new bar is just downstairs under the big plane and there are two bars at the beach. Walking away from the beach inland, five minutes gets you to Pappa Johns, Cafe De Coral and Maccas. There are heaps really good Chinese restaurants around here plus Kitchen Party, which does exceptional steaks.
Also, you can walk out of your apartment and be on a ferry (Jiuzhou Port) in about 10 minutes. It isn't convenient from here to the Zhuhai airport, but I prefer to catch a ferry to Shenzhen and fly from there for domestic flights. It is very convenient to HK airport.
Hey Turtle, got a couple of questions for you re Haibin Huayuan......
What would it be like living there without a car? Sounds like you drive most places.
Is it loud at that big intersection? Lots of buses with air horns blaring?
Thanks.
Our friend lived there, Dave. Without a car you can get around pretty well. Most of the places are in a walking distance and you can take buses as well as cabs in the area. And not that many buses. By the sea there is 9 and 99 and to get other lines you have to walk up to Haibin South Road. It is a lovely area.
G'day Dave,
I don't really notice the traffic noise as I am away from the intersection (in the far highrise away from there). Also, we are pretty high up, I wouldn't want to live in one of the smaller buildings, as I think they would be noisy.
The main noise issue is the helipad, but it is rarely at a time that it worries me, i.e. never late or too early. I actually enjoy watching them flying past my window.
If you didn't drive I don't think it would be an issues. There are plenty of bus stops (no idea where they go, never caught one) and always taxis hanging about. Also, there is a Vanguard and heaps of small fruit shops, supermarkets, wet markets, etc behind us.
Hello,welcome to Zhuhai.I m local people.
I sugest you can live in Jida or Old Xiangzhou.Old xiangzhou has Jusco(big supermarket),and transportation is Convenience,and many foreigner live here.
I am new to this city but I was told Jida is the city centre. I was there yesterday and i liked the area. Compare with Beijing, Zhuhai is much smaller and it is very easy to transfer inside the city. Besides the air here is way cleaner than Beijing, although I do feel here it is more humid...which makes it feel hotter!
Anyone knows where to find some good live music?
Cheers!
@ JC CLUB....Live Bar in Jida
I had an apartment on Lover’s Road with unobstructed view of Macau. I really enjoyed the view but that was about it, There were no market, school, hospital, shops or even a restaurant within walking distance. The only bus that stops in front of building was No. 99 (thank god). Well, after eight years, the view got old but the inconvenience that was there from the start has never gotten any better. So I decided to sell the property last year and move to Jida. Fortunately, I made enough money off the sale and didn’t have to come up with any extra to move up. The new apartment plus an underground parking spot will be ready next month and has everything within the walking distance. So yeah, Jida has my vote.
That is a lot of good information. I can see everyone has had different experiences. I have lived here a while now. Jida is okay, but there is 'things'. As for Huafa I can tell you I went and saw a 3 bedroom with a 52" tv, very well furnished, not like the basic crap and cheap furniture. 23rd floor. had to rent for 6 months, but one month deposit as usual (don't know who in their right mind is giving 2) and it was 2100. no pool. right next to all transpo. So Huafa is not expensive. I lived in a 3 bed a year ago in Century City with pool and baths for 2000 a month. You have to look. And you better not be desperate to get the first thing you can find in a week. There are some very nice places in Zhuhai. At reasonable rates. There are places with jacuzzi and so many extras. Depends what you want to pay, and also depends if you have transportation.
All in all we expats know most places. Some have better advantages over others. Did not take the place in Huafa. There is nothing there except a crap wet market and as someone put it 'some really nice restaurants', so have place your priorities.
And there is A LOT of places to live in Zhuhai that I'm sure none have even heard of.
What means the most to you? Categorize it.
Rump
Oi Ching,
Se vc tiver carro, Huafa é um lugar legal, bonito, bastante verde..mas mesmo com carro, preferimos morar em Jida, pois tem mais mercados ao redor, mais movimento e moramos em frente a praia. No nosso condominio tem 3 familias Brasilieiras tb, e tb tem mais uma outra familia de Brasileiros morando ao redor. Acho que válido vc ir la dar uma olhadinha. Nós vimos cada apt liiiindo e mais barato do que pagamos aqui em Huafa, aliás, praticamente o mesmo preço, então a questao do preço nao vai te influenciar taaanto assim na decisao nao, pois vai depender mto do gosto e do que vcs estejam procurando.
Bom, qq coisa é so responder aqui.
Boa sorte para vcs e fiquem com Deus!
Lan Pu, the area around the New Yuan Ming Palace gets my vote, a bit quiet and not that much there but Gongbei and Jida are only a short taxi ride away. I've even walked home from Gongbei a few times. Only ever see locals in the area though no expats.
i actually agree with Chris. We were considering a garden close to the gongbei - ningxi tunnel for the same reasons. Ching, you just really have to check the areas yourself and don't let the agents take you to ¤"Where all foreigners like to live".
Hi kathy_loveangel. Can u help me of which better for us to stay in zhuhai? Hows Jida? Is it near QSI? We plan to enroll our 4 y/o daughter there, shes currently on her primary one and im a homestay mom who is happy enuf havin accessible shops ( like jusco as uve said) , malls--- restaurants, large markets. Buses or cabs wud probably be my ways of transpo while my hubby s away for work.
Pls help we will be first timers.
If you want to live near QSI, Gree City is a good option for you. It's a new compound, with a lovely swimming pool and a nice park nearby. It's close to Macau border, about 30 min walk or a couple of bus stops to a big supermarket called Vanguard. Carrefour is about 5-6 stops away. Very convenient location.
FYI if you didn't know, QSI is moving to the other side of the tunnel in Xiangzhou. Sharing space with a girls school as I hear it.
they already moved. The place is beautiful.
Huafa is far too expensive for my salary. I wound up getting a studio in Jida.
Hey guys!
I am back haha. I tried to post here few months ago but the forum was going under some maintenance or something like that.
Thanks a lot for all the help and information. I'm finally planning to move to Zhuhai with my fiancee around this October. We are thinking about finding a temporary place to move for some months (not sure if I can find an apartment where the landlord will accept like a 4/5 month contract, is it possible?), while in the mean time we look for an apartment that we can buy, do some renovation and finally move.
So, again I have few questions and will be really glad if you guys can help me out:
1 - To buy an apartment at Zhuhai is it true that I need to live there for at least one year? Is there any way of buying if I don't fulfill this requirement?
2 - I guess Jida is an area that's developing fast and the apartment prices are raising quite fast. If you guys could recommend me some condos or give me some websites where I can look it would be great. I found some Chinese websites showing some condos in the area and some are near the jiuzhou airport, it's not noisy to live near the aiport?
And some websites just show new condos that don't have any infrastucture and the apartments just have a door and windows... I prefer to buy a second hand apartment and just make the renovations necessary. The prices of some apartments are getting really high from what I see, 10.000/rmb or 12.000/rmb (maximum) per square metter is the highest I would consider. Do you guys think it's hard to find apartments in nice condos in Jida for this price? I couldn't find so many on the internet. I know I should go and look but I am already doing some research.
3 - Is it expensive to rent a small office in Jida area? By small I mean really small as in the beginning I would be working by myself and later would hire like two persons to make my business get going (I do international trading).
Again thanks a lot for all the help. I know it's pretty boring to answer so many things, but this message board seems to be the best place to get some information. While in Zhuhai it will be a pleasure to have a beer with some of you guys.
Take care!
Hi,why you guys don't think about the west district?like areas around Hu xin lu kou湖心路口(close to the Airport), As far as I know ,you can rent a same nice apartmet with 1/3 price of that in Gongbei or Jidang, what is more, it is more quiet and clean (especially for those people who like Hiking).
Ok,there is indeed no so many expats there for the moment...but consider about 10 years ago, how many expats will vote huafa new town as the ideal place to live in?
so,go and have a look at West and then make your final decision.
From my point of view, the famous saying:
Location, location and Location - still applies.
because this area is too far from shopping and schooling as well as work places for many expats. Half of us don't own cars to freely move around :) it's not that people wouldn't like such areas but they are currently not very convenient for expat population to live in. Some of us aim to live closer to other expats and have management that is familiar with foreigners needs. Some live in typical Chinese gardens but closer to shopping areas where we can easily buy things we need and get to the hospitals where we can be understood. There is another factor - a lot of us won't be here in 1-3 years. So exploring new areas for living is not something people with family might want to do.
Ching, you can definitely buy nice 2ndhand apartments for that price in jida. However you have to really know the language or have someone trustworthy for translations. You can also rent tiny offices in jida (30sqm) for around 1000Rmb a month. However it won't be a nice fancy building and most likely there will be no elevator. Some gardens allow renting apartments for office purposes as well (management fee in that case becomes higher).
Thanks a lot Cheekygal! And my mandarim is fine, that's not a problem for me. :) On other hand I can't speak any cantonese, want to learn it anyway hehe.
1000rmb for a 30sqm office is awesome, for the beggining that's what I need for at least some months.
Zhou, I will take a look at the western part but it doesn't seem to be very convenient to live there. Thanks anyway for the recomendation.
Oh sorry, I submitted the post by mistake and I can't edit it....
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I live in the west of Beijing and have a pretty common life so no need for fancy and overpriced areas.
One more question, is there any place in Zhuhai that has some live music perfomances? I'm sure that this will be something I will miss when I leave Beijing, here at least I can see some rock concerts once in a while hehehe.
Thanks for the help and sorry for the double post.