With the acceleration of urbanization and economic development, existing research mainly focuses on the logic behind urban economic transfer and macro-impact. However, the impact of economic transfer on residence preferences and living patterns remains limited. This paper aims to explore the impact of economic transition and central axis shift on residence preferences in Tianhe and Yuexiu District in Guangzhou. The research method adopts the analysis of urban policy documents and planning outlines, combined with online semi-structured interviews to collect residents' living experience and district selection logic. In this way, the research deeply explores the impact of the shift of the urban economic central axis on residential preferences. The research indicates that residents of different ages have different priorities when choosing living conditions. The differences in advantageous resources between the two districts significantly affect residence preference. Besides this, family relationships and kinship networks also play a key role in the selection process. This research expect to provide a reference for future urban economic transition and spatial planning in Guangzhou. Also, it lays the foundation for considering urban housing allocation and functional layout from a deeper perspective of residents’ preferences and needs.