Posted by
alexbui78
16 yrs ago
Does anyone have a brief summary on living expenses in Hong Kong as a bachelor? I have a budget of $5000 monthly rent living on my own and $10,000 on other expenses.
Please advise. Thanks
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thanks for your prompt response islandhopper. yeah i think my range is between $5000-$7000, i guess $7000 is more comfortable price mark. my office is in tsim tsa shui, i still have not decided where to live yet. will start flat hunting once i get out there. my company will pay me two weeks hotel at the beginning.
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Do you mean HK Dollars or US Dollars? I do hope you mean US Dollars.
Shifting you to HK on 17k HK a month is a very low salary to move an expat on.
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thanks spurtio. yes HK$. That is not how much I am earning. I am hoping to put aside a large part of my salary towards my savings. Anyway, everyone has different standard of living and I am on my own which I guess can be slightly more flexible.
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As others have said, 5k on rent and 10k on expenses does not buy you a lot in HK. Sure, you can live on that but it will be rather spartan.
Just our utilities bills are 3-5k/month for a 3 bedroom place.
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"Just our utilities bills are 3-5k/month for a 3 bedroom place."
your three bedrooms must be quite big...
i think he is thinking about a studio or 1 bedroom place 5-7k rental. utilities should be less than 3-500HKD, i would think
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You can rent places in Tai Po, or Lamma Island etc for your budget. Or you can flat share with other professionals which would mean you can share costs. So you could have a relatively bigger flat.
If you want to stay in a more Centralised location, you can opt for an older building - such as the Tong Lau - which are basically known as the walkup flats. They have no lifts and won't be higher than 7th floor. I know people who lived alone in Sheung Wan in old flats that they loved, on your budget.
When I first came to HK, I earned $16K - 18K a month, and paid $3300 for a share flat and I recall being quite comfortable and going out loads! Mind you, I also had a 14-month salary which meant I could easily pay my tax and then pocket loads of savings at the end of the year. So I suppose that worked out to around $21K a month - still not much more than you and I had a blast in HK! There's loads of places with great happy hours where you can get cheap drinks!
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Our three bedrooms are not tiny but I wouldn't call our place huge by any means (have seen both smaller and larger). My point, though, is that things like electricity can be pretty costly in HK if you don't watch it with the A/C and other things. So can food unless you either eat like the locals or are very careful where you buy the "expat stuff". You can get by on the latter without breaking the bank but it takes care, planning and hunting (for deals, not game).
Pah, maybe I'm just getting old and comfortable. ;) Come here, have fun. It is certainly not impossible on your budget.
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Pah, maybe I'm just getting old and comfortable. ;)
This is exactly what I thought, when I wrote my post. Nowadays, I can't imagine living on $21K and yet I did when I was single - and that includes saving a pile of money, going on loads of holidays and going out drinking a lot with friends. Seems unbelievable. Of course, I never went out to fancy restaurants for fancy meals - but that wasn't my thing...
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thanks slammy for your information. i am earning more than $21k net per month. however, i just want to put a large sum of money aside for my big travel plan :-)
def will look into tong lau and see how it is like living there.
what do you do in hk, Slammy ? I am a structural engineer.
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hey guys, do u know whether it is cheaper to get a monthly mtr pass? i m thinking of living in causeway bay and travel by tube to tsim tsa tsui for work. however, i believe that different mtr lines are run by different companies and hence, i will not be able to buy one pass for both lines? correct me if i am wrong.
also, do u know whether hk residents have to pay any local council taxes? i am only aware that i have to put 17% max income tax aside from my monthly earnings, is that all I need to put aside?
Thanks in advanced!
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by the way, if u guys know a better place to live, pls let me know. i work in tsim tsa tsui and i m choosing causeway bay because i am familiar with the area, well ish . do u guys think jordan or mong kok is good too? i am looking at olympic area too, it seems to have lots of newer properties. i am more a contemporay person, if i have a choice , i would choose to live in new apartment. thanks
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Why don't you consider sharing?
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Hi Alex,
I am merely a lowly-paid journalist...
If you're not sure where to live, you could try renting a one-room studio in Causeway Bay. You can get them as cheap as $7,000, which includes furniture and possibly electricity and phone/internet. You don't have to get a lease - short-term rental is fine. You can see these people advertise in magazines, like HK Magazine for example. Or even if you walk around the streets - such as on Hysan Avenue, they have a building there so maybe they advertise the number on the side of the building.
This way, it will give you more time to look around to find something you want.
If you want contemporary - you may want to consider sharing, because a newer flat will be more expensive.
Or you could look for old buildings that have renovated flats...
TST and Causeway Bay are more expensive than Jordan and Mongkok. Usually, expats prefer to live in these places, because the other places you suggest are more "local". But it's all a personal choice!
You can get an Octopus card - it pays for everything. MTR (run by a single company), buses, shopping etc. Very convenient and usually MTR has a cheaper charge for Octopus card users.
If you only have a job in HK - you pay salaries tax. No other taxes (unless you own a company, or own a flat which you rent out etc). I actually thought salaries tax was less than 17% but it's around that figure anyway...
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One company that does studio flats in Causeway Bay...
http://www.cozy.com.hk/
And Urban Cube
http://www.urbancube.com.hk/index.html
Studio Studio
http://www.studiostudio.com.hk/index.htm
By the way, you get Octopus Cards from the MTR, pay a $50 refundable deposit, and you just put as much cash on it as you want. If you have a credit card, you can opt for a personalised Octopus, which auto-refills the money from your credit card account, so you don't have to keep going to the machines to top up your card.
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alexbui78. There are no monthly passes. Octopus, which is a pre-paid card, pays for all MTR lines, buses and green minibuses, as well as a large number of other things.
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Ed
16 yrs ago
http://hongkong.asiaxpat.com/property/share-flats/
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Alex - I'm on 10k a month which includes rent and I'm an expat.
It can be done if you're careful.
Avoid taxis, eating out and drinking in bars if you want to live frugally.
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lalib
16 yrs ago
alexbui78,
Its sensible what your doing by cutting costs you can save. I'm a foreigner and I came to HK on 15K now I earn much more, but forget that.
Places to live (loads other expats there too)
Discovery Bay and Tung Chung - studio/1bd easily within 7K
But the communte to Tsim Sha Tsui will be an hour - which aint that bad!
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Yeah that's the thing in the expat areas. Everything strangely seems to cost a bit more.
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thanks guys all info and comments are very useful!i was living in london b4 and an hour commute was my daily ritual ! so i guess i m willing to look into that too. Tung Chung,hmmm where is that? will gmap it later.
how much is the gym membership in hk? e.g. california fitness or fitness first?is $300 pm enough?
hi slammy, thanks for ur info. are journalists that low paid nowadays? i have a friend who works for FT, he is earning tons of £ !! i will look into mongkok and jordan, my canton is a little bit rusty but i think i can get by with my mandarin background.
how much do you guys pay roughly per month for octopus card? I mean if you commute on a daily basis. thanks!
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lalib
16 yrs ago
Cara,
just for your info I think I got a bargain.
My rent is only HKD 5800 for a 533 sq ft - for HK standards thats spacious for one person. And yeah add HK 1400 for the transport/bus.
Groceries for one guy aint gonna make that much difference. Even if the OP gets a flat a bit more expensive so what. You cant's beat DB's quality of life to TST.
but the communte is a bit of a pain in the a**
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"how much do you guys pay roughly per month for octopus card? I mean if you commute on a daily basis. thanks!"
It very much depends on what your route is. It can be anything from $2-3 each way (just the tram or ferry) to $30 or more if you have multiple changes.
My wife, if she commuted by bus, would pay $8-12 each way depending on which bus she took. That's $256-384 per month.
Keep in mind that apart from public transport, your typical user will use their Octopus card for vending machine sodas, parking, 7-11 purchases, charity donations and a variety of other things. So most don't really "break out" their commute costs precisely.
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ok thanks guys. i have heard alot of good things abt db, its greenery and expat community. but i m more a city boy, i love the urbanised polluted concrete jungle :-)
in rgds to the mtr cost, i m still confused, surely there is a monthly travel pass if i say travel from causewaybay to tst on a daily basis 5 days a week. in london, i can get a monthly travel pass which works out cheaper than just being charged each way daily. anyway, maybe again i need to leave london behind and accept how things are done in hk now.
do u guys know where is the best place for happy hour? lan kwai fong?
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Hhhmm, don't go out drinking much these days but Joe Bananas in Wanchai (Luard Road / Jaffe Road) has cheap happy hour drinks.
I would say Lan Kwai Fong is more upmarket.
Regarding MTR, there's no such thing as a monthly pass at one cost. UK has oyster card, which is the same as our octopus card.
Well, as a journalist my salary certainly doesn't compare to the corporate world or finance and banking, but I'm not complaining! I like my job. :-)
Tung Chung is near the airport. It's expensive to commute on the MTR to TST everyday, plus you need to walk a bit inbetween MTR stations in Central. Rent is cheaper out there.
If you're happy with Jordan and Mongkok, why not have a look around - some expats who come here really enjoy being in with all the local community. And you can hang out in Tsim Sha Tsui for a drink along Knutsford Terrace.
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excellent slammy, joe bananas it is!
how long hav u been living in hk? where r u from originally?
keep in touch. i m hoping my visa will be ready in the nxt few days, then i will be heading to hk this friday.
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I recommend you never post your email address in a public forum. It's a good way to get lots of spam since the bots can read it. Use the messaging interface instead.
Agreed about Happy Hour. TST and Wan Chai are better than LKF price wise. After that it depends on what kind of crowd you enjoy more.
"i m still confused, surely there is a monthly travel pass if i say travel from causewaybay to tst on a daily basis 5 days a week."
Nope. You'll pay the fare each time. On the bright side, HK public transport is quite cheap compared to London. Also on the bright side, Octopus gives you a discount on the MTR fare compared to buying a ticket.
You can use the MTR journey planner to get some idea of MTR journey prices. (There are also a couple of iPhone apps): http://www.mtr.com.hk/jplanner/eng/planner_index.php . For your example CWB to TST by MTR the fare is $9.50.
For bus journeys you can use the route search here: http://www.nwstbus.com.hk/home/default.aspx?intLangID=1 for NWFB/Citybus and here http://www.kmb.hk/en/ for KMB.
Beyond that you have minibuses of the green and red varieties. All HKers know that minibuses are the fastest form of transport in the known Universe. Well priced too.
Finally let's not forget trams (dirt cheap but slow) and ferries (some cheap, some less so).
Lots and lots of options. Public transport availability and cost is not something I worry about in HK.
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Ed
16 yrs ago
Let me kick in here...
I came to HK in the early 90's teaching phys ed on a salary similar to yours.. (and often quite a bit less when I left that job and struck out on my own ...) I had just finished back-packing through Australia and the south pacific... found Canada lacking... so did a teaching degree and took the first thing that paid enough to live on... and got on a plane not knowing a soul in HK (still remember stepping off the Korean Air flight to board the shuttle to the terminal and feeling that refreshing blast of hot, humid air and thinking - this is most excellent)
I rode mini-buses and big buses almost never taking a cab... I shared apartments... some of my best times were had during that period... big money doesn't mean big happiness... you learn to make ends meet... if you do it right HK can be very cheap... and its more interesting to eat at a local joint on the corner of Prince Edward than in Soho or LKF any day... that's what coming to HK is all about isn't it... its about the adventure...
If you've got the chance grab it... once you are here the opportunities are endless... you wont be on 15k forever...
One suggestion... network as much as possible.. if you are even remotely good at any sport join a team... its the best way to meet a lot of people on the best terms... chances are that will open up other doors of opportunity in your field - or other fields...
Best of luck!
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thanks axptguy38. u can see i m not that literate in IT!
thanks for the websites on the transport. yeah, i agree, the cost of hk public transport is a fraction of how much i used to pay in london. furthermore, the trains in hk are much more advanced and you get phone reception too in the underground!! boo london!
i heard a lot about the minibuses in hk, the bus drivers speed through the traffic like lightning.
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thanks ed. i know a few people in teaching too. i find those professionals are like nomads. they move around the globe so often. one of them actually tells me that he will never stay at one place more than 2yrs!!
r u stil in hk? i know hk a little bit but i think i will like it hopefully. i m more a city boy, i love the urban adventure and high tech living. hk offers both worlds i heard, if you travel further north of new territory, it can be pretty rural and animals running wild!
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Ed
16 yrs ago
At the moment I am in Gianyar, Bali... living in a bamboo house that we just completed... I get to HK from time to time... other than the air its the best city in the world...
The good thing about living in the new territories is you may be forced to learn Cantonese...
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Gosh Ed - I had assumed you were living in HK! That's very narrow-minded of me! hahahah
Alex, I've been in HK since 1995, born in UK and then spent about 12 years in Oz before coming here. My mum is from HK so I have lots of family here so it's very much like home now. I didn't even know you weren't here! You're still in London - so now I know why you post your messages so late in the day...
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cool slammy. it sounds like u r settling well in hk. do u speak fluent cantonese?
do u think people in hk will treat u differently if u speak mandarin or english to them? i heard if u r in chung wan or causeway bay, u can get by in english.
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Re: Language. Mandarin won't get you very far unless you're in the Louis Vuitton store or something like that, in which case you'll be fine on English anyway. Lots of people are learning Mandarin, local and expat alike, but it's hardly the language "on the street", as it were. English is fine in places with an expat clientele. PRetty area specific. However in the little shops and in the markets it might not work that well. A large number of people speak at least basic English. If you reciprocate by learning some basic Cantonese you'll find things much "smoother". I only speak maybe 50-100 words of Cantonese and I find that, as in most places, the locals do appreciate it if you make an honest effort and don't just assume they speak English.
I know plenty of people who speak no Cantonese and they do fine. However I think that I do better when it comes to finding stuff beyond the expat areas and shops. They see a somewhat different HK from what I do. And those who really speak the language see yet another HK, even more "authentic" than I see. My "problem" is that I live in an expat area and so there's really not much need to learn Cantonese. As Ed says if you live in the NT you are forced to learn and that's not a bad thing.
BTW If by Chung Wan you mean Central, everyone calls it Central in English. Interestingly, the other Chung Wan is Middle Bay. Different tone on the "Wan". As you can tell Cantonese is a fascinating and occasionally frustrating language. ;)
"i heard a lot about the minibuses in hk, the bus drivers speed through the traffic like lightning."
Quite. So much so that they have mandatory speed displays installed so the passengers can see just how fast they are going. Recent calls for a hardwired 80km/h speed limiter were met with protests from drivers. "What if we need to speed up to avoid an accident?" To which I would say: "Speed up from 80km/h??? That's some accident you're avoiding!"
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well, apart from cutting basic living costs, you may also want to look into HK's well-developed financial system and information for managing your financial and investment plans. And bear in mind meeting girls could sometimes drain your money very fast here.
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Hi Alex,
My Cantonese is okay, but I certainly wouldn't profess to being fluent. I can hold a basic conversation, depending on the topic of course. I never learnt Cantonese as a child, only when I came here in 1995 and did some courses at the YMCA. That's another good way to meet newcomers - sign up to a language course!
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