monthly living cost in hk

Looking at accepting a job offer to move to HK, I will be moving with my wife & 2 children. After doing some research, can someone give me some feedback on the following figures:

Apartment HK$40K, Utilities HK$4K, Groceries HK$7K, Inter'l School HK$10K, Pre School/Kinder HK$6K + General Living (Clothes, lunches, dinner, movies, etc..) $8K

thanks cara. i was thinking that travel would be included in my general living figures. MPF & tax would be based on my wage, which isnt confirmed yet.

Before you decide to move, make sure that there is space for your kids in school.

many parents (expats and locals) are having a difficult time securing spots at the international school.


activities for kids are expensive in HK. depending on the activity, it's not uncommon to pay $200 and up per lesson (ie..ballet, karate, swimming, art etc.)


eating out at restaurants will run you at least $200 per person at most restaurants (ie..soho area, lan kwai fong).


i am assuming you are not eating at mcdonalds or at a local noodle place.

if so, then the cost can be as low as $50 per person.


make sure you include medical insurance in your budget. seeing a doctor in HK can be very pricey.


basic items such as fresh milk, butter is much more expensive here than in the US.

You can comfortably live within the figures you have calculated.. although food/groceries are relatively cheap in HK. Eating out is so affordable and great value for money that your grocery costs will certainly reduce. Can confirm Mc Donalds meals start at HK$20, and many lunch sets at restaurants (2 courses adn drink) are around HK$50-80. Even if you prefer home cooking most things i tend to buy cost about 30% less than in Australia.


If you plan on driving you'll finding parking to be quite expensive.. residential parking can easily be 3K and even more.. if you drive to work.. then you can multiply that by two... not to mention that wherever you drive you'll have to

pay for parking. Running costs for a car (petrol, parking, servicing) can very easily add up to 10K and more.


I think $200 for activities/lessons is probably a minimum... actually its not uncommon to pay $1000/hr for quality tuition.

Thanks everyone for the feedback.


I think I will need to investigate the schools a little more. do you know if we need to be in hk to enroll the kids in school or can we do that now why we wait for my work visa?


rob_378 thanks for the driving info, i believe 2nd hand cars are quite cheap - but it is just the up keep that is expensive.