I am currently negotiating a relocation package and I expect to recieve between 8,000 and 10,000 yuan (that's the same as RMB, right?? ) per month for housing. I will be working south-west of the city so I'd like to live in that direction, but not too far from where all the action is. Is it possible to find a nice place, maybe even a villa, for that amount?? It's just me, my wife and my dog, so we don't need a lot of bedrooms, but a couple of trees in the area wouldn't be bad.

yuan is the same as RMB... hmmm south west well depends on how far south west you are referring to...? anyway you will find that the further out you are from the city centre the chepaer it can become although, this can also work against you as you then run into problems finding accommodation that is of a high enough standard, and quality. therefore you might end up having to move into a compound or complex which can raise the price... you should be able to easily find something within your budget but always try to bargain and pretend that what evr is asked for is far too much... the best thing is to get the companies representative(s) deal with the housing issue as they will have a better idea of the market...+ where is best situated for y to bot get around and be close to your place of work... as transportation times can be horrendous here... & beware that lots of tricks are played here... and from reading between the lines you sound as though you are a novice in relation to china and what is done here... -correct me if im wrong... also you should learn mandarin... infact its almost a reqiurement if you hope to function and be independent here. sure people will say you can cope without having to learn much, but after having been here for nearly 2 years -you are best to know the language and believe me englsih is not spoken widely here at all, and dont let anyone fool you into believing otherwise.
as for all the action... the puxi side which is west of the huangpu river is far more crammed and crowded together as opposed to pudong whihc is on the east side... this area has far more space, wit wide roads, and bigger compexes and gardens etc. but its far less interesting... puxi is where it all happens... read the frum topics to get a feel for the action hot spots are...
ohh and be very careful with the pick pockets here, esp... round the various markets, railway stations, subways, bus stops infact everywhere... they are often kids/teenagers operating in groups and they are very very good...
if you do come welcome to shanghai

and sorry for my typos... tis late here and im tired... *yawn*

Thanks a bunch for all of your information. And you're right, I am completely a novice when it comes to China, I deal mostly now with South America. We're heading over there in April for a few weeks for work and also to look around and get a feel for the place. Any real negotiating on my job offer will happen after that, but I always like to get as much information as possible before considering anything, so I wanted to have an idea of what areas to even look in while I'm there. I see now that I could either work in Songjiang ( I think it's south west of the city anyway), or more likely right in Shanghai somewhere on Gubei road (not exactly sure where the office is). Based on that, would you have any recommendations on areas to live in within my budget? It just seems like every place I find online is at LEAST US $2,000 a month, which is a little high...I'd hope to be able to find a nice place for less than that.

I do fully intent to learn as much mandarin as possible. I agree that knowing at least a little of a local language makes a big difference in quality of life. The plan is for me to be there 2-4 years, so I'd hope by the time I get back home I'll be speaking well : ).

And don't worry about the typos, I hardly noticed!

Thanks again...

RMB10000 should be OK, but try and get USD1500. If you're going to be here a long time, kindergartens are expensive!