Where to live in Suzhou? Apartment search / District - General info

Hi everyone,

i will change jobs and move to Suzhou in early October.
Until now i am not really familiar with Suzhou and would need some advise especially regarding apartment search.
Im 30 years old and single. My workplace will be at the time square east of the Jinji lake. I guess this area is called Yuanqu.

I would like to live in a district with a selection of restaurants, supermarkets, shopping malls and an expat community. Also i would need a good connection to metro line 1 to get to work. (btw does somebody know the operating hours of line 1?)

My questions summarized:

- which part of the city or which compound near the metro is good for a young single expat?
- whats the average rent for ca. 100sqm, 3 rooms, new compound, nice modern furniture
- where are the best places to look for apartments? (i can read chinese)

prefer not to use an agent

many thanks for any help in advance!!!

I used to live in Suzhou. You will be very happy there. Time Square is a good spot with plenty of shopping, restaurants, and metro line 1 nearby. I cannot comment on accomodation locations or costs unfortunately as my flat was provided as part of my contract.

If you require any info about living in Suzhou though, just ask.

Also check out www.whatsoninsuzhou.com for info on events, clubs/bars, and special events as well as info on the expat lifestyle.

Finally, maybe the site www.echinacities.com can assit you with finding accomodation.

Best of luck,
Cathal81