If you have a work permit, with a minimum validity of a year then yes, technically you can buy a lease of an apartment.
There are some restrictions on what you can buy, nothing in a rural area (particularly if there is land attached), and you can’t buy in buildings with associations with the PLA. Also there are restrictions in many cities on the amount of space the property can have.
Note that selling an apartment later can be a pain, getting the money back out of China can be difficult unless you have all the relevant paperwork saved, and (as a foreigner) you are not allowed to rent the property out, also if you sell the property within 5 years you get hit by speculative taxes (these are deliberately designed to prevent foreign speculations on the stock market).
If you have a Chinese spouse it’s very easy. Recently my wife and I just bought our second home in Chengdu. $190,000 for a 3 floor home on the first floor with a 花园, a front yard for gardening and some backyard space.
Generally speaking, buying property in China in 2026 is not a good investment.
If you plan on living in a decent T2 or T1 city in China, apartment prices will be very high for what you get, and you can rent a decent place in most cities for a fraction of what a mortgage would be.
If you don't plan on living in China, you'd be better off buying property elsewhere.
In HZ, i just rented a quite luxurious 3B 110sqm apt for US1150. The sale of that same apt goes for over 650k. It doesn't make any sense! Back home mortgage/rent ratio is still possible to handle but here... something's off.
Half the blocks are empty. My guess is thay rich chinese just buy them as "safe investment" and just leave them there.
It’s not just rich Chinese. My wife’s parents own three properties, absolutely no need for it but they viewed them as investments. They have lost about 40% if not more.
Can you explain why it doesn't make sense? For a 650k condo, with 20% down, the monthly payment in China is 2300 USD/month. In the US, say SF, the monthly is 4500 USD/month. So basically the 1150 rent is equivalent to a 3350 USD/month rent in SF. And that's actually pretty much how much you'd expect to pay in SF for a 650k condo.
The building complex you're looking at also needs a special permit to be able to sell to foreigners. As a result, the only places you're able to buy directly are the most expensive ones.
Dudes generally buy through their wives.
Just wait for prices to collapse and pick up places for zero rmb like in Japan. Long term value of most Chinese apartments outside of central tier 1 is very very low.
Really bad idea to buy an apartment right now as far as investment or it sustaining its value. Get the real estate app on your phone (anjuke). Even if you don't speak Chinese you can look at apartment listing and get an idea of the pricing. If you watch it for the next year you'll see a shocking amount of inventory and you'll note that there is very little sales taking place. Where I live I reckon at least 30% of apartments are unoccupied.
Unless you're well off and looking at an apartment in central Shanghai (and even then I'm not sure it's a good deal) you're better off renting.
Just rent, buying property in a country with never ending home building is nuts. Once the Chinese realize they’re buying a nearly infinite resource those prices are going to bust real hard. Plus nobody is thinking about long term structural issues with these apartments.
You buy land-use right and need to see what happens in 70 years, if the rights will still be granted for you - anyhow you will need to pay some fees for the renewal. Not to speak about that most T1 / T2 real estate is overpriced - compare how much net monthly salary (local) is necessary to pay the bill.
It depends where. At some places, as a foreigner you can get a massive subsidy based on your education level which should make the price realistic.
Where I am living, it was 1M for PhD, 500k for Master degree. You pay for the apartment in full and in a couple of months you get the subsidy transfered to your acc. You have to have the certificate of ownership though, not all communities will issue this.
Ask around and good luck
To Add: i believe you have to have a residence permit, and you have to stay in that municipality or province for some time. Again I am not sure about the details, you need to check in your own municaoilury what are the regulations as they can be different from place to place.
If you have a work permit, with a minimum validity of a year then yes, technically you can buy a lease of an apartment.
There are some restrictions on what you can buy, nothing in a rural area (particularly if there is land attached), and you can’t buy in buildings with associations with the PLA. Also there are restrictions in many cities on the amount of space the property can have.
Note that selling an apartment later can be a pain, getting the money back out of China can be difficult unless you have all the relevant paperwork saved, and (as a foreigner) you are not allowed to rent the property out, also if you sell the property within 5 years you get hit by speculative taxes (these are deliberately designed to prevent foreign speculations on the stock market).
Proceed with caution…
youre allowed to rent out - did it before - just more stringent tax scrutiny
Yes I agree selling and moving cash out of China will be a pain
Yes, otherwise underground money exchanges wouldn't exist.
If you have a Chinese spouse it’s very easy. Recently my wife and I just bought our second home in Chengdu. $190,000 for a 3 floor home on the first floor with a 花园, a front yard for gardening and some backyard space.
Regulations permitting purchases vary by city - it’s not one size fits all.
Generally speaking, buying property in China in 2026 is not a good investment.
If you plan on living in a decent T2 or T1 city in China, apartment prices will be very high for what you get, and you can rent a decent place in most cities for a fraction of what a mortgage would be.
If you don't plan on living in China, you'd be better off buying property elsewhere.
In HZ, i just rented a quite luxurious 3B 110sqm apt for US1150. The sale of that same apt goes for over 650k. It doesn't make any sense! Back home mortgage/rent ratio is still possible to handle but here... something's off. Half the blocks are empty. My guess is thay rich chinese just buy them as "safe investment" and just leave them there.
It’s not just rich Chinese. My wife’s parents own three properties, absolutely no need for it but they viewed them as investments. They have lost about 40% if not more.
Can you explain why it doesn't make sense? For a 650k condo, with 20% down, the monthly payment in China is 2300 USD/month. In the US, say SF, the monthly is 4500 USD/month. So basically the 1150 rent is equivalent to a 3350 USD/month rent in SF. And that's actually pretty much how much you'd expect to pay in SF for a 650k condo.
It depends on the city but the minimum you need is a resident permit through work or marriage. Some cities then enforce the 1-year rule.
The building complex you're looking at also needs a special permit to be able to sell to foreigners. As a result, the only places you're able to buy directly are the most expensive ones.
Dudes generally buy through their wives.
Just wait for prices to collapse and pick up places for zero rmb like in Japan. Long term value of most Chinese apartments outside of central tier 1 is very very low.
Lolwut.
Really bad idea to buy an apartment right now as far as investment or it sustaining its value. Get the real estate app on your phone (anjuke). Even if you don't speak Chinese you can look at apartment listing and get an idea of the pricing. If you watch it for the next year you'll see a shocking amount of inventory and you'll note that there is very little sales taking place. Where I live I reckon at least 30% of apartments are unoccupied.
Unless you're well off and looking at an apartment in central Shanghai (and even then I'm not sure it's a good deal) you're better off renting.
My landlord has been trying to sell for two years.
Backup of the post's body: I read online that I will need to have lived or worked in China for one year before I can buy an apartment, is this true?
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check with the local property exchange center. policy and rules change. u will need some very serious Chinese to handle this sort of transaction.
are you crazy?
Just rent, buying property in a country with never ending home building is nuts. Once the Chinese realize they’re buying a nearly infinite resource those prices are going to bust real hard. Plus nobody is thinking about long term structural issues with these apartments.
First get married.
For what? So the other person can get half of the shares for doing absolutely F... all
legal ownership in Asia begins with marriage...
Ohh reeaalllyyyy?! Can you please back up your claim by providing legal links. Thank you
You buy land-use right and need to see what happens in 70 years, if the rights will still be granted for you - anyhow you will need to pay some fees for the renewal. Not to speak about that most T1 / T2 real estate is overpriced - compare how much net monthly salary (local) is necessary to pay the bill.
You would need to buy theapartment to live there. there are rules. You can read those rules online.
It depends where. At some places, as a foreigner you can get a massive subsidy based on your education level which should make the price realistic.
Where I am living, it was 1M for PhD, 500k for Master degree. You pay for the apartment in full and in a couple of months you get the subsidy transfered to your acc. You have to have the certificate of ownership though, not all communities will issue this.
Ask around and good luck
To Add: i believe you have to have a residence permit, and you have to stay in that municipality or province for some time. Again I am not sure about the details, you need to check in your own municaoilury what are the regulations as they can be different from place to place.
Is this for real? Because if I can get ¥500k subsidy, then I can buy a city centre top-floor dream apartment in Hohhot where I live right now.
Oh wow, that's really cool. I won't ask you to say where you live, but can you tell me if it is Guangdong or not?
Bmi am in Zhejiang province
You can. If you need real estate agent, dm