Housing allowance advice

Posted by gigglepants (116 days ago)

My husband and myself and 2 kids (7 and 8) live in south west London, Teddington but are hoping to move to HK. My husband is in Advertising and Digital Marketing - the role he has been offered is for an MD position and the package seems good. I have been trying to research cost of living in HK so that we will have the knowledge to judge a package. The only concern I have is that the housing allowance is only 40k a month - not meaning to sound greedy, I know the industry is not banking but I was surprised it wasn't more.

We see this move as an amazing experience and as an investment - Digital Marketing is a massive growth area in Asia given the rapidly expanding consumer base online.

After looking at property Clearwater Bay is probably the type of place we are most suited to spending around 75k. Is it usual or wise to supplement your housing allowance by a considerable amount?

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Posted by qpzmgh (116 days ago)

i am an expat living in HK with wife & 2 children, we rent in Clearwater Bay and have no housing allowance whatsoever but manage comfortably our rental is 45K. So you should be able to manage if you have a good salary to supplement your housing allowance.

Posted by Patrick Yiu (116 days ago)

Jumping from $40K to $75K seems a long shot. I suggest you to search for more websites and find out if $40K really can't get anything close. Check out Discovery Bay, little cheaper than Sai Kung.

Certain downsizing is anticipated when coming to HK, but many housewivies are glad that they can hire a maid for only $3700/m who do babysitting, laundary and house cleaing.

Posted by gigglepants (116 days ago)

Thank you for your replies. Salary/and package as whole is very good so looks like we should be able to supplement it easily enough however haven't heard of many people doing it so thanks qpzmgh.

Are there any particular areas in Clearwater Bay you would recommend? I am hoping I will be able to put the kids names down for CWB primary School altho I hear I can't do that til I have an address.

Thanks for your advice Patrick - surely the jump of an extra 35k being affordable depends on the desposable income? The reason I was concerned is that I hadn't heard many people talk of supplementing their housing allowance. I am presuming that a vast majority of expats that move to Hong Kong are in banking which generally have more structured and generous packages than a lot of other jobs.

Very excited about having a maid - husband will be too as he wont have to iron his shirts!

All the properties for rent seem to be unfurnished - is this generally the case other than a servised apartment we may have in the beginning?

Posted by ltxhk (116 days ago)

You may want to reconsider spending another $35k on housing. Yes, the package may be good, but it is $35k down the drain with no tax benefit. If you want to spend more than consider buying. Some families will supplement their housing for $5k or perhaps even $10k, but $35k would be unusual. You should be able to get a nice place in CWB for $50k+. Perhaps push the employer for a bit more. If the package is so favorable and could easily afford another $35k top up, then the $40k housing is on the lower-side.

As for schools, CWB Primary is part of the ESF. Now employers can pre-register before staff land in HK. Schools are very booked, and so you should get the employer to assist you.

Posted by Patrick Yiu (113 days ago)

I've seen a family with 3 children with a housing allowance of $70K, the mother was not satisfied, they ended paying $30K extra from their pocket to get want they want. If you don't have to live in the Peak or South Side, Sai Kung should provide a decent living for $50K+.

Copy those websites' links to your company HR, let them understand the current market price.

Posted by cara (113 days ago)

you should be able to get a very nice place in Clearwater Bay or Sai Kung for $40-50K, without any problem at all!