Posted by
chazzam
16 yrs ago
Hi all,
Have recently accepted a position to start in Hong Kong September-ish and am busily investigating all things HK living wise. I've got a few ideas for living environments, but was hoping y'all could help with the details.
I have a budget of up to 10k a month for accommodation, but would probably be happier with something for 5-8k. I will be working on the island and would like to live on it (at least for the first few years). What I am divided on is choosing between an area that will give me a bit more space to live in with (some) green and a sardine tin in the heat of it.
If you could pass on your recommendations for areas I could look for in either case, that would be great. These are just guesses, but so far, somewhere near Victoria park or the west side of mid-levels seems to fit the bill for the quieter side while on the other Wanchai or Causeway Bay seems to fit the other foot. Any thoughts would be very welcome and thanks for the help.
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any of the areas you mentioned is 'in the heat of it'. they are all busy, traffic, small and expensive - but you are in the mixer which is a good thing when you first come to hk and are single (are you?). 5-8k might get you 500 sqf in an old building or 300 sqf in a renovated new mid-levels building (flat share might get you more)
real green and space for your 5-8k budget is more like park island, lamma island, lantau island.
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I would note that the areas around Victoria Park are very busy and the air is full of vehicular pollution. Not where I would like to live. For that budget, I would find a small but nice flat in Midlevels. I'd rather trade a bit of space for quality. In other words a new building. I don't need the ultrafancy, but a modicum of "niceness" is good to have.
Note that the areas east of Victoria Park are very Chinese. At least to start with, a more "expat" area is probably easier.
For greenery, there are hiking trails starting by Midlevels with plenty of greenery uphill. you also have Botanical Gardens and Hong Kong Park.
You could also look at Kowloon side. If you are close to an MTR station the commute is shorter than you might think. For that arcology feeling, look at the West Kowloon complex surrounding ICC/Elements Mall.
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axptguy i sense you might not have ventured out to 'east of victoria park' for a while.
while i agree that the cwb side of victoria park is polluted, i have to object for the tin hau and tai hang sides. they are no more or less polluted than mid levels.
also, tai hang and tin hau are changing fast in recent times and I don't think they are thaaaat local anymore. while they are not an expat-ghetto like mid-levels, you can get a huge variety of kitchens in tin hau/fortress hill, you find plenty of english speakers, organic shops, serviced apartments like shama, the place is swamped with starbucks, burger king, mcdo, olivers, etc. Plenty of stuff to make an expat feel comfortable.
while i agree that a newcomer might want to live in mid-levels to have less of a culture shock, anyone who has moved beyond that stage and still wants to live on island should not only consider sheung-wan or star street but also tin hau/fortress hill.
sounds like a sales-pitch, but i lived in that area for the last three years and truly feel that way
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tpol
16 yrs ago
Gold Coast - Bus Ride isn't that long. 30mins.
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cookie09,
Great to have that confirmed. I did a little scouting trip for jobs earlier this year and did a good bit of wandering in between interviews in those areas. I'm not a total stranger to China (having lived on Mainland for a few years) and would like somewhere western enough but still with a Chinese side. How much space could I get and at what price? Is the old chinese housing just ok to live in or can there be some quite pleasant blocks? Any info on streets/blocks to target (or even agents maybe) would be much appreciated.
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A lot depends on how you want to live. Ultramodern, "traditional", with character, sterile slabs of stone in the lobby? Facilities or not?
I'll agree with cara that 5k is not much. I would not like to live in HK as a single person with less than 15k housing budget. Yes yes I'm spoiled. ;)
"axptguy i sense you might not have ventured out to 'east of victoria park' for a while.
while i agree that the cwb side of victoria park is polluted, i have to object for the tin hau and tai hang sides. they are no more or less polluted than mid levels."
Oops. Forgot totally about Tin Hau, Tai Hang and so forth lol. I have been there recently and it's not bad at all. My mind was thinking "North Point". As you say.
"Gold Coast - Bus Ride isn't that long. 30mins."
That all depends on who you are. Personally I find that a 30 minute commute door to door is at the far limit of what I can take. A 30 minute bus ride normally means a 45-50 minute commute. Other people are don't mind driving an hour and a half each way.
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Tai Hang, for all purposes, is pretty much over-rated now. I've been in neighborhood for 5 1/2 years and the crowding and prices have soared. Weekends are difficult to walk around neighborhood, and the crowding is pushing out the long-term residents that gave it character. All that's missing is for certain media Web sites to do a 'Hot Women of Tai Hang' photo gallery to complete the dismemberment. Ah, progress.
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