I lived in ZH n own some property there .
There r several places u can consider
a) gongbei (¹°±±) ¨C this is the area just next to macau, lots of locals who commute to work in MC stay here ¡£
Studios with balcony at ÁìÐã³Çrent out at 2400-2700 rmb/mth , this place is quite convenient as its just directly above a mall with lots of eateries n a walmart, n decathlon sports mart below.
There¡¯s a pool inside the main estate of ÁìÐã³Ç that u can swim at in the summer
Something nicer can be found at ¸ñÁ¦ÏãÕÁ (2800-3200 rmb/mth)? or ¸»»ªÀ the latter is an upmarket? mall development with a few blocks of 2 n 3 bedroom(BR)? aptmts within, a 2BR rents out at $4200
the high speed tram station to guangzhou is located here
b) xiawan-ÏÄÍå
this is a district in gongbei within walking distance to the border, its an older district but is pretty convenient n self contained, there r studios at ´ºÔóÃûÔ· going for 1600-2000 rmb perhaps, there is a KFC n lots of eateries below? ´ºÔóÃûÔ· has a pool within the main estate that is opened in summer, quite a no of pretty gals in this area
u can walk or cycle to the sea side at lovers road Çé· from both gongbei (¹°±±) n xiawanÏÄÍå.
ZH hv a city wide free bicycle loan project with lots of bike kiosks located all over, get a bike card done by registering your id n u r good to go
c) °Ù»õ¹«Ë¾ (bai-huo-gong-si) at ÀÏÏãÖÞ (lao xiangzhou)
this is quite a nice development in the heartland of ZH called xiangzhouÏãÖÞ.
U can access the sea from here too where u can see fishing boats being anchored
studio should be between 1700-2600 rmb/mth
d) Jida
as mentioned by vannrox, jida is a nice place too n it is favored by many locals
there is a nice park with a big lake that is opened for fishing at °×Á¬¶´ garden
the financial district is located in jida n its about 10 mins bus ride from gongbei
e) tangjia -ÌÆ¼Ò
this place is further up north n is some sort of university town with 3 univs there so if u like to mix with the univ crowd u might like it up there . it is some distance from town but is self-contained .
there is a? high speed tram station to guangzhou is located here
f) huafa shang dou-»ª·¢É̶¼ , nanping-ÄÏÆÁ district
this place has about the nicest looking mall in ZH , Huafa Century City is right up there but if u r considering to stay there, than might as well stay at the aptmts near the mall
> traffic is bad esp on Friday evenings
g) dou men -¶·ÃÅ
this is the west part of ZH, it¡¯s an area that is being developed £¬ ¾®°¶can be pretty nice if u like living in a more traditional place with a small town feel, there is a big health spa at dou men
h) qianshan - ǰɽ
this is located between gongbei n? nanping n has lots of metal fabrication n building material shops
think jida, gongbei,xiawan, xiangzhou would be nicer for living
i£©tanzhou? - ̹ÖÞ
this is part of zhongshan but is closer to ZH so its termed as the back garden of ZH , rentals r cheaper here n it has a nice suburban feel
j£©sanxiang? - ÈýÏç
this is a pretty small town that is in zhongshan n 1 hour from ZH by bus
There r lots of real estate agencies at every street corner so just research on the places u¡¯ll like to stay which r near your school , than just head to the real estate shops to compare prices n aptmt offerings..
U would typically need to pay 50% commission (though sometimes this can be whittled down to 30%) + 2 months rental deposit for the landlord + 1 month rent to be paid in advance = 3.5 months rent
estate maintenance charges payable = 100-300 rmb depending on aptmt size n estate type, the newer estates will cost more , pets r usually not allowed?
Overall ZH is a pretty nice n relatively laid back place to live in with honest n civil folks