maid in NY costs $1500 + living in expense $300

while 1000 RMB in Shanghai so yes that's a much bigger expense. Maids here usually do a little bit more.

neighbor... I hardly see who is next door when in Beijing's high-rise apt, mostly because everyone is too busy... I assume much the same in Shanghai. It's actually easier to reach over to neighbors in US because you have more chance to bump into each other in weekends for example, and you have more common problems like home remodeling, kid's school etc. But it's true that they probably never make to your friend's circle. If it's a lot of friends that you are missing, there is probably no way to re-produce that in US.