Moving to HK
Wed, 2004-01-21 20:56 — Anonymous
Hi,
Me and my wife are in discussion to move to HK and are searching for some advice from people living in HK.
Where are suitable areas for living?
Will be working in Causeway Bay area and we have a small baby so we are not looking for the places closest to the bars.
Is 25' HKD enough to get an OK housing?
What are the livingcosts for food & entertainment etc?
We have prev. been living in China & Sing, but my impression are that HK is more expensive.
Thanks for any god advice.
Moving to Hong Kong
I lived in Hong Kong for two decades before moving to London, Kuala Lumpur and then Kaohsiung (Taiwan). The cost of living nowadays is lower than pre-1997 days.
If you'll get a housing allowance of 25K, it allows you to rent a 2/3 -bedroom apartment in Happy Valley, which is one of the expats' favourite areas, and is not far away from Causeway Bay. Hong Kong's accomodation is certainly more expensive than those in Singapore and China, but the income tax rate of about 16% is the lowest among them.
Regarding expenses on food, if you buy local products and do your daily/weekly shopping in a big-chain supermarket, it definitely wont cost you a fortune. Cinema ticket costs about $10 to 12 (Singaporean Dollars).
What you should concern the most in your case is whether HK is an ideal place to bring up a child. I grew up in HK and like my birthplace, but I wont consider moving back to HK if I have a kid. A lot of HK families emigrate in order to give their children a better enviornment to grow up.