# Salary Question



## fonaray (Sep 25, 2013)

Hi all

I'm thinking about relocating to Hong Kong in the very near future and would be grateful if anyone out there could advise me whether or not $50k per month is a good wage to support myself, wife and 18 month old child?

I've been asked to set my salary expectations with a prospective employer and want to be realisitic. I'd be happy to spend around 30-40 minutes commuting into work each day on HK Island but wouldn't like to spend much longer than that. I'd like to stay in a 3 bedroom place if possible (2 bedrooms if I really have to) but I'd also like to have some spare cash to go out for dinner, travel a bit and save each month if possible. 

Do this sound doable or will I end up living month to month in a shoebox?! 

Help!

F


----------



## fonaray (Sep 25, 2013)

I found this link whilst looking into things - can anyone tell me if this looks about right? (I can't post URLs yet but hopefully you'll be able to reconstruct it without too much difficulty!)

numbeo <dot> com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=Hong+Kong

F


----------



## boroboy (Mar 19, 2013)

I would say it would be a struggle but if you eat in most nights then its manageable. Once your kid needs to go to school you might struggle. for 30-40 min commute and decent housing you could live in Discovery bay. you can get a large 2 bed for about 20k and its a 25 min boat to central. If you want somewhere bigger look at the New Territories or even Lama.

<edit> I have used numbeo in he past and its quite accurate, but not looked for a year or two.


----------



## fonaray (Sep 25, 2013)

Thanks boroboy. I'm thinking that provided we spend no more than 50% of my salary on housing (preferably less) then we should have enough to get by. My wife will also be looking for a job (she's an accountant) once we arrive so once she's working it will make all the difference. 

I take your point about schools. When the time comes we'll either need to be earning more to cover the costs or we'll need to come back to the uk. 

Thanks again!

F


----------



## storm2013 (Nov 2, 2013)

It depends on you. If you want to live in a expensive expat area (mid levels) and eat out at western restaurants (central) and go out in expat nightlife areas than it will be expensive but still manageable. 
IF you eat local places and live outside of HK island you will be fine and save plenty. you can get a very nice 2-3 bedroom for 15K in Kowloon an if you go out even further to the new territories its even cheaper. I live in Kowloon and love it. It's very local but if you want to experience HK I'd recommend it. 
Its in the middle of HK so its convenient. Public transport is also excellent in HK.

I live on much less than that and I have travelled to SEA, Macau and mainland China over 10 times this year and still managed to save more than I did in my home country.
discovery bay is also good if you want a family area with expats.

As I said everyone is different in money spending. its ridiculous how much some expats spend in HK. 

Just go to into a local real estate agent in the area you like and they'll show you a couple of places, and remember to bargain. Take around 1-2k off the advertised price.


----------



## fonaray (Sep 25, 2013)

Thanks Storm2013 - that's very helpful.

We're looking at places in the outlying islands rather than on HK island. We want to find somewhere that's child friendly which is why we're looking at places like Discovery Bay & Park Island. A complex with a pool, gym, playground and clubhouse sounds ideal so we'll probably focus our search on those places going forward. 

Thanks for the tip about negotiating the rental price - I'll keep it in mind when it comes to haggling for a better deal!

F


----------

