You need enough accessible money to cover the payments due before your first salary, plus a contingency. The amount depends on your housing terms, arrival date, employer arrangements and spending—not just the advertised monthly salary.
Build a dated cash-flow plan. An expense reimbursed next month still needs funding this month.
What goes in the arrival budget?
Separate one-off payments from ordinary living costs. Include travel, temporary accommodation, deposit, advance rent and any document or setup costs you personally pay. Then allow for food, transport and other essentials until the first confirmed payday.
Do not add the same rent twice. If advance rent already covers your first month, include only other living costs for that period.
| Category | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Travel and documents | Your actual quotes for expenses you pay |
| Temporary stay | Nightly cost multiplied by the nights you expect to need |
| Deposit and advance rent | Amount due under the proposed lease |
| Living costs until payday | Food, local transport and other uncovered essentials |
| Contingency | An amount for changes or delays |
Calculate your arrival budget
Use the calculator below with your own amounts in RMB. It starts at zero because it is not a market-price estimate. Your entries stay in this page and are not sent to the school.
Your arrival budget
Enter amounts in RMB. No figures are saved or sent.
What does a cash-flow gap look like?
Consider a fictional move with RMB 4,000 in travel costs, RMB 2,000 for a temporary stay, RMB 18,000 in deposit and advance rent, RMB 3,000 in other living costs and RMB 5,000 reserved for changes. The total is RMB 32,000.
Those numbers are an arithmetic example, not typical Shanghai prices. If an employer later reimburses RMB 4,000, the initial payments still total RMB 32,000 unless the reimbursement arrives before they are due.
What should you find out about payday?
Confirm the first payment date, whether the first month is partial and when any allowances begin. Ask how setup delays are handled. Keep an expected reimbursement separate until its amount, conditions and timing are clear.
Convert money carefully: bank charges and exchange rates can change the amount available. Use the rate and fees quoted by your provider for the actual transaction.
How can you make the estimate more realistic?
Replace guesses with current quotes as you progress. Compare real housing options, check how long temporary accommodation may be needed and decide which purchases can wait.
Use the Shanghai rental checklist to understand the largest housing payments, the offer comparison for compensation terms and the moving checklist to put everything in order.