Posted by
sshuldiner
11 yrs ago
Hi,
I am an American student who will be moving to HK in two weeks and will be living there for a year on a Fulbright scholarship. My question is: where would be best for a single, male expat to live in the city? I am looking at a nice place in Causeway Bay but am concerned it won't be the best location for someone like me. I am looking for an area that is busy, fun and has a decent amount of expats living there, close to nightlife, etc. I will also be commuting to NT some days a week for work, if that influences advice.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Causeway Bay is for shopping - besides, anything in that part of town will be either A) ungodly expensive or B) ungodly ugly and tiny. Where are you working in NT? Convenience for travel (MTR) should be a consideration.
What is your budget like?
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The apartment I'm looking at is acrtually really nice (modern, clean, 400 sq feet); he ussually rents it out for 20,000HKD+ a month but is giving me a good deal because I am staying longer and also he is being pretty nice (16,000HKD/mo). My budget for apartment is ~15-16,000 HKD, but preferably 15k...
I'll be working at CUHK (Shatin)
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Already had a friend (HK local) check it out for me too, and he confirms it is nice and great value. Just dunno if that's the area I want to be in...
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15k is a lot for only 400sqft - but then again it is Causeway Bay (but also why live there? to shop at Sogo everyday?).
If you are looking for the fun / hip experience then I'd recommend checking out either Sheung Wan or Kennedy Town. Kennedy Town is where lots of younger expats / college kids live, but it is not very convenient because there is no MTR anywhere close (must take bus). Sheung Wan is an old neighborhood that for the past couple years has been developing into the new hip part of town - lots of new European cafes, restaurants, a couple bars, etc.
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You want to have a good time in Hong Kong? Don't worry about where you live, it all depends on how much money you have to spend. Fun = money, in Hong Kong.
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&&&
11 yrs ago
causeway bay is shop-centric, though convenient to a fault. all transportation goes there : buses, minibuses, mtr, trams, everything short of sedan chairs. but it's one of the most polluted on HK side. it's hk's version of mongkok. good if you like crowds as it is crowded on weekdays and HORRIBLY crowded on weekends. it's the time square of nyc. you won't see cool, hip, expat there except at ikea as everyone shops and leaves to go home (somewhere else, not cwb). it's difficult to meet friends except when they're there running errands.... yes, right, shopping at sogo or ikea, time square :-p
but getting around hk, kln is not a hassle in any case, so, do you need to be in a location that put you with the shopping and restaurant crowds who are in cwb for these 2 reasons only ?
then, there is soho. but generally, the apts there are old and plumbings may be outdated. if you have a mean landlord, then, you have to deal with leaks etc.
happy valley is hip and convenient (except on race days). the watering holes there are young people haven. it has a village (if this word is possible in hk where one hardly see any trees) atmosphere where you walk to vendor shops. nice if it's not in the blast of summer or on yellow, red, black (?) rain days. your budget can get you rental of around 450 sq ft (minimum). yes there are young expat and hip restaurants.
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Yep, live in Happy Valley, and join the local rugby club. Guaranteed friends, and fun.
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But CUHK is kind of far for you to travel if you live on the Island. are you only interested in living on the island? if yes then why don't u try tin hau or even fortress hill area its close to CWB but less expensive.
if you are open to other options then i guess you can try Hung Hom which is really convenient if you want to travel to Island and to CUHK.
CUHK is like really far away +___+""
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Hey, thanks for all the advice guys. I actually arrived and realized the place is not in cwb (although technically in the area) but is more like tin hau (5 min walk from the tin hau MTR). It's really nice, modern and definitely at least 550 sq ft. I'm worried I may be paying too much (16k/mo), although they ussually rent this place for +20k... I've made a bunch of friends after being here for 2 weeks but am still trying to branch out a bit. Wish I could play rugby, the dudes I know who do are cool as hell haha
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