Objectve To investigate the breeding characteristics of Aedes albopictus in different housing types in Jing'an district, Shanghai, China, and to provide a basis for scientific surveillance and control. Methods Stratified cluster sampling was used to select residents. Household surveys of different housing types were carried out, and differences in Breteau index (BI) and container index (CI), types of accumulated water, and indoor and outdoor distribution were compared using the Wilcoxon rank sum test and Pearson χ² test. Results A total of 678 old public housing households were surveyed in 14 streets (towns) in Jing'an district of Shanghai in August 2018, with a BI of 19.91 and a CI of 21.23%. There were 166 new housing households, with a BI of 4.82 and a CI of 6.61%. There was no significant difference in BI between them (Z=0.975, P=0.329), and old public housing had a significantly higher CI than new housing (χ²=14.172, P=0.000). The indoor and outdoor accumulated water of old public housing accounted for 56.92% and 43.08%, respectively, and that of new housing accounted for 72.73% and 27.27%, respectively. The outdoor accumulated water of old public housing was significantly different from that of new housing (χ²=10.539, P=0.001); the indoor CI of old public housing was 5.52%, and that of new housing was 2.27%, with no significant difference between them (χ²=1.610, P=0.204). The outdoor CI of old public housing was 41.97%, which was significantly higher than that (18.18%) of new housing (χ²=6.980, P=0.008); the outdoor CIs of both old public housing and new housing were significantly higher than the indoor CIs (χ²=123.892, P=0.000; χ²=9.838, P=0.000). Old public housing had a large amount and diverse types of indoor and outdoor accumulated water, and high proportions of potted aquatic plants, water storage containers, and flowerpot supports, while new housing had an obviously smaller amount of water accumulation than old public housing, and had few types of accumulated water, predominantly bonsai aquatic plants or indoor water. Conclusion The number, types, and positive rate of mosquito breeding sites are significantly higher in old public housing than in new housing, so old public housing is a disaster-stricken area for vector monitoring and control. We suggest that prevention and control measures should be carried out according to local conditions in the future according to the humanistic characteristics of residents of different housing types.