# Thinking of making the move. What lifestyle can we expect?



## EasyJoe

Hi,

I have the opportunity of taking a job in Hong Kong and wanted to check with you good people if the package was reasonable? 

Monthly salary 105,000HKD
16% pension
a 13th month bonus payment (withhold for tax?)
School fees for up to 3 kids (I have none)
Private medical and dental

It's just myself and my soon to be wife. Would we have a decent lifestyle on that money while being able to save a bit? What sort of areas should we be looking to live? (we're both fairly young but don't want party party all the time, peace and quiet is a must too!). Any good expat/local mix areas?

Anything else which you can think of?

Thanks very much in advance!


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## JWilliamson

You are way up their in income per month than 90% of the people in Hong Kong. Main expense will be mortgage or rent. A very nice apartment can cost you between 20,000 to 35,000 HK Dollars per month while the rest of us are paying for a basic place between 9,000 to 12,000 HK Dollars. I have been in nice apartments that have a huge gym, tennis courts, Badmington, Squash, indoor pools and club house costing 18,000 to 25,000.


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## EasyJoe

Thanks for taking the time to reply. 

I'm on a similar (a little less) salary here in Paris, but don't have pension/private health/future school fees so am trying to weigh up whether the move would make sense financially for us given cost of living etc. I see the tax system in HK is very beneficial, so i'm thinking overall it would be a good move?

If we do make the move, we're keen to live somewhere with a good local/expat mix. I'm not really a fan of purely expat enclaves. I would also need good transport links to the airport with a reasonably short commute. The other half would need to have plenty of things to keep her busy! She's a qualified patissiere so may want to look at business options/employment there too.

Something i'll also say is that i've never been to Hong Kong, i'm trying to organise a 1 week holiday in April so that I can see things for myself but would like as much info as possible before I make that trip.

Thanks again.


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## JWilliamson

Live on Hong Kong Island. Central, Causeway Bay is smack in the heart of expat and local mix. Also all the restuarants, bars and coffee shops. Public transport is everywhere and it is fast also remember HK is tiny but with a lot of people.


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## dunmovin

Ye,gods mon.....whit ur ya waitin' fur? Land oan yon deal wi' baith feet.'s a vibrant place


Honestly,HK is a great place to live and with the salary and benefits offered you would be fool to pass up the chance. It's vibrant place,but so safe you can walk anywhere in the early hours. I would challenge any city in the world to provide a better mix or quality of food outlets. Low income tax, zero purchase tax. One the best public transport systems in the world.

I would suggest that the 13th month payment be held for tax, and "soon to be wife" would be in a much better position (visa wise and other points) if she was married to you before arrival.

Most expat medical insurance will NOT cover a partner who is not married to the isnured person


Airport? it's no more than 35 min drive from Clearwaterbay, which unlessyour house stradles the hk/mainland border is not far


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## EasyJoe

Thanks for the reply.

With regards to Visas, the company would sponsor my visa application but what would happen to my partner? 

At the moment she is my partner of 5+years, but I do hope to marry her in the not too distant future. I realise being married would make Visa application easier for her, but what if we were not married? What kind of Visa could she get so that we could be together? 

Thanks.


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## dunmovin

EasyJoe said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> With regards to Visas, the company would sponsor my visa application but what would happen to my partner?
> 
> At the moment she is my partner of 5+years, but I do hope to marry her in the not too distant future. I realise being married would make Visa application easier for her, but what if we were not married? What kind of Visa could she get so that we could be together?
> 
> Thanks.



*With regards to Visas, the company would sponsor my visa application but what would happen to my partner? 
*

I think you have to discuss this with the HR dept of the company. (being blunt... not married means she is an indivdual and with none other than a tourist reason for being there, she'll only get a tourist visa. If married, she becomes a dependant and as long as YOUR visa is valid, so is her's)

I'm sorry that I can't be much more helpful, but even after 14 years in HK, it still baffles me.


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## AndrewC

You can chose to live on Lantau Island. Very beautiful scenery, a nice mish-mash of expats & locals and a really short commute to the airport (as they are on the same island)


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## batman3298

On your partner's visa situation, she would be allowed to enter Hong Kong for 90 days (3 months). At the end of 3 months, she can apply for an extension, or leave Hong Kong and enter Hong Kong again for another 3 months stay.

Since Hong Kong borders China and also a short distance to Macau, she can make a day trip or overnight trip to these places and come back to Hong Kong.

She can take a train (1 hr ride) to LoWu, which is HK/China border and cross the border to China. She would need to get a multiple entry visa for her entry into China.

The boat ride to Macau is also about 1 hour.

I know quite a few people do this to continue their long stay in Hong Kong.

Hope this helps.

Batman







EasyJoe said:


> Thanks for the reply.
> 
> With regards to Visas, the company would sponsor my visa application but what would happen to my partner?
> 
> At the moment she is my partner of 5+years, but I do hope to marry her in the not too distant future. I realise being married would make Visa application easier for her, but what if we were not married? What kind of Visa could she get so that we could be together?
> 
> Thanks.


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## JWilliamson

That is illegal and they in time will find out.


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## batman3298

There is nothing illegal about leaving Hong Kong and coming back. Even for a day trip to do some sightseeing in Macau or shopping Shenzhen.

Many foreigners from Hong Kong do that on a regular basis.

Maybe they could even take a short trip to Singapore or Thailand for their vacation during their year in Hong Kong.





JWilliamson said:


> That is illegal and they in time will find out.


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## AndrewC

It's a loophole, loads of people do it


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## JWilliamson

Lots of people do it and yes lots of people do what they want but every time you go out for one day then come back it is all documented and I have meet people who did that lots of times that were kicked out of Hong Kong for ever.


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## JWilliamson

Loopholes are not about doing the right thing it is more about doing the wrong and not getting in trouble.


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## cylshain

Good afternoon, EasyJoe!

My wife is a subscriber to this website, but she asked me to answer your post this time, because I have the first hand information of your questions.

I am originally from Boston, Mass., U.S.A. However, I have worked overseas a lot. I have worked in China, and Hong Kong for over 16 years. Then we moved back to the States. We have been back for about 12 years now. However, I work from time to time in Hong Kong, and China during this period of time.

Updates: my wife and I will be moving back to live in Hong Kong in mid April.

Regarding your offer, the pay and benefits seem to be reasonable. However, one thing you might want to consider is to include in your package the housing allowance. 

In Hong Kong, if you want to get a reasonably sized apartment in a decent neighborhood, you usually have to pay between U.S. $3000 to $4000 easily. Of course if you live further away from the city, it might be cheaper.

As for the transportation systems there, they are absolutely fantastic; you don't need to own a car to go from one place to another, and they are well designed, so almost every corner of Hong Kong is connected by the public transportation, which is safe, efficient, clean, and inexpensive.

If your work requires you to travel frequently between Hong Kong, and China, you might want to consider living somewhere near to any of the MTR stations (MTR is the subway system, or underground /tube in Hong Kong), or near to any of the train stations. 

Hong Kong is one of the most wonderful cities in the world. People are extremely efficient and capable there. It is a very beautiful place with lots of excellent restaurants, terrific shopping malls, and mild weather. Also, the health care there is top-notched, and inexpensive compared to that in the States. That is why we are relocating back there.

The taxes in Hong Kong is very low, too, and there is no sales tax. The living cost is comparatively lower than that in U.S., UK., and France; you should be able to save a lot of money for your retirement later.

If you have children in future, you will have no problem finding very good schools for them. 

Since we will be moving back there in a few weeks, and my wife can speak fluent Chinese, so if you and your family need any assistance while you are there, please let us know, perhaps we can be of some assistance.

Take care, and all the successes with your new job!

Larry 


Hi,

I have the opportunity of taking a job in Hong Kong and wanted to check with you good people if the package was reasonable? 

Monthly salary 105,000HKD
16% pension
a 13th month bonus payment (withhold for tax?)
School fees for up to 3 kids (I have none)
Private medical and dental

It's just myself and my soon to be wife. Would we have a decent lifestyle on that money while being able to save a bit? What sort of areas should we be looking to live? (we're both fairly young but don't want party party all the time, peace and quiet is a must too!). Any good expat/local mix areas?

Anything else which you can think of?

Thanks very much in advance![/QUOTE]


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## dunmovin

JWilliamson said:


> Lots of people do it and yes lots of people do what they want but every time you go out for one day then come back it is all documented and I have meet people who did that lots of times that were kicked out of Hong Kong for ever.


the trick is to go over 24 hours.... even 25 hours can make it legal.


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## Bloombergur

Hi JWilliamson,

I've been reading your posts, and found them really helpful. 
I am from Dallas, and recently got an job offer in HK for roughly 31k per month. Is it do-able in HK for 23 year single man? I like to party (obviously)a bit and work out, a solid gym is essential to me.

And regards to housing, I don't really mind the size really, but I'd like to have a nice surroundings. I going to be working in central finance district on HK island, where would you recommend to live? Hopefully keep the rent under/equal 10k HKD. 


Thank you very much!
appreciate your time 

p.s. is there any place in HK where you can run outside?


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## Golo

[/QUOTE]

p.s. is there any place in HK where you can run outside?[/QUOTE]

Depends where you are but you should have no problem finding somewhere local.


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## Bloombergur

Thanks!


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## dunmovin

Bloombergur said:


> Hi JWilliamson,
> 
> 
> 
> is there any place in HK where you can run outside?


on Kowloon side try Beacon Hill, the riverside in Sha Tin, the walking trails near Kowloon resivior " Golden hill", Mah On sha country park, Tai Po also has a few country/public parks.


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## AndrewC

Hey,

It is doable, getting 31k a month, but to rent a place that has a decent view (open air, sea view, mountain view) is next ti impossible for 10k around Central. You would have to travel quite a bit further. 

You can try in Sai Kung, lots of open spaces there and you can get a decent place for under 10k. The party life in Sai Kung town is OK, lots of expats there, but not that many gyms. Travel time is about an hour.

The transport around HK is very good, so anywhere that's about an hour away from your work place is convenient.

Ask your company if they provide housing benefits, or if they don't, ask if they can put you up somewhere for a month, so you can find somewhere to live.

You can try the outlying islands, they have great views, cheap but travel times goes up. Lantau is the biggest island in HK, & has a lot of properties, you just have to pick a good place for your 10k limit. Think about furniture too, if you want furniture provided, the price goes up per month.

Running-You can run anywhere as long as you don't mind having an audience, as most people tend to run on the pavements around town.

Oh, one final thing, as a rule of thumb, it will cost about HK$500-600 a month for bills. That's elec, water, gas, internet and phone bill. Depending on your tariff, it could go up to about 1k a month. Elec, gas & water is every 3 months. 

Take care


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## Bloombergur

Perfect! Thanks a lot


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## JWilliamson

Kowloon side is not near Central it is like 45 mins going on 3 different trains. You can run but most areas are polluted and over crowded but between Central and North point theres a huge park called Victoria at Causeway bay that has Grass yes grass and a jogging trail.


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## luluslair

Me and my Husband are looking into moving to HK, husband has been offered a salary of 570K HKD p/a. 
I wonder, where is nice surroundings to live? we have a dog so would like somewhere to walk him. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

Lotta xx


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## AndrewC

Do you know where your husband is going to work in HK? That helps with where you can live. The wages in HK are worked out monthly, so he will be getting HK$47.5k a month. Some places/landlords forbid pets of any kind. If you don't mind walking your dog in streets, then you can live anywhere. If you prefer countryside/parks, pier walkways (with grass), you can try Sai Kung. Lots of open air environments there. & it really depends on what you mean by "nice?" 

If you can say where you are living now, it'll help in giving you an idea of what to expect.

Take care


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## Holker

JWilliamson said:


> I have been in nice apartments that have a huge gym, tennis courts, Badmington, Squash, indoor pools and club house costing 18,000 to 25,000.


Where are these apartments?


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## luluslair

AndrewC said:


> Do you know where your husband is going to work in HK? That helps with where you can live. The wages in HK are worked out monthly, so he will be getting HK$47.5k a month. Some places/landlords forbid pets of any kind. If you don't mind walking your dog in streets, then you can live anywhere. If you prefer countryside/parks, pier walkways (with grass), you can try Sai Kung. Lots of open air environments there. & it really depends on what you mean by "nice?"
> 
> If you can say where you are living now, it'll help in giving you an idea of what to expect.
> 
> Take care


Thank You Andrewc,
We originate from London but live in rural location now. Company has got him a 1 bed flat but we dont as yet know where that is an not prepare to accept yet. His work is close to quarry bay MTR.
I dont think there is anywhere near that with any green space for our jack russell.
We would probably prefer new territories, koow loon or somewhere there.
Any help appreciated.


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## Golo

luluslair said:


> Thank You Andrewc,
> We originate from London but live in rural location now. Company has got him a 1 bed flat but we dont as yet know where that is an not prepare to accept yet. His work is close to quarry bay MTR.
> I dont think there is anywhere near that with any green space for our jack russell.
> We would probably prefer new territories, koow loon or somewhere there.
> Any help appreciated.


Try Tai Po NT, they have a doggie park just to walk your dog! there's plenty of green spaces, plenty of people have dogs here. Transport in HK is excellent so need to worry.


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## luluslair

Golo said:


> Try Tai Po NT, they have a doggie park just to walk your dog! there's plenty of green spaces, plenty of people have dogs here. Transport in HK is excellent so need to worry.


Thank you, I will look into that. 
x


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## AndrewC

Tai Po is nice, but I think Sai Kung is just as nice, but it's a lot closer to where your husband will work. There are a lot of greenery there, depending on where you want to live, of course. If you like the rural environment more than an urban one, I would suggest a village. They have what is called a village house, usually 3 levels, each level has 700 sq ft of real space. If you opt for a town flat, it's not actually what's been advertised, it's actually less than it is.

There are quite a lot of expats there too, but not as much as HK Island. But there are less greenery available there, & the pricing of the places are quite high. SO you can worry less about being bored when your husband is away at work.

A village house has a roof, if you choose the 2nd floor (top floor) so you actually get 1400 sq ft. Or you can get a ground floor & it tends to have a small to medium garden, but not always. Or you can opt for a duplex (2 floors) or a whole house (d'uh), but the price of it obviously goes up. Depending on which village you choose (there are LOADS), you might need a car or it is usually close enough to the main road that you can catch the minibus to an MTR.

Sai Kung is about 20-30 min away from Quarry Bay, depending on how far up you are in Sai Kung.

I'm afraid that there are too many choices. I would suggest you take a week or two to explore HK, & see where you would prefer. Try out a few Estate Agents, see how that experience takes you. & trust me, you will be sick of seeing houses after only a few hours 

Can't think of anything else. If you can, I'll try to answer them


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## luluslair

Thanks Andrew.
We are waiting for the company to send us there for a trip then we will look into areas and I probably will look into Sai Kung and Tai Po, both sounds like nice places.
If I can think of anything more before that, I will be in touch!
Thanks
Lottax


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## chipsbinder

Hi,

a good package, just want to ask a question, did you company have any arrangement about your tax? how long will u stay in hk. let me know if I can help u. (i am a local in HK)


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## luluslair

Hi,
The contract is long term, that is all we know. Dont know much about the tax.


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## chipsbinder

Lotta,

If you wish, you can summarized your situation to my email and I will let u know the approximate tax your family will have in hk. When will u come to hk? My email is my username + yahoo com


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## ccormack

chipsbinder said:


> Lotta,
> 
> If you wish, you can summarized your situation to my email and I will let u know the approximate tax your family will have in hk. When will u come to hk? My email is my username + yahoo com


Hi all

Thinking of making the move. Wondered if we came across on a tourist visa and found work in hk would we then need to return to the uk to get a work visa (professional) or would that be possible to do whilst in hk?

I'd appreciate your input on this

Thanks


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## chrolson

I have a friend (also an expat) who lives now in HK and she said that life is very fast and advanced. She also said that she pays double for almost everything, but maybe because it's really cheap in our country.


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## dunmovin

Holker said:


> Where are these apartments?


Parc Oasis, Yau Yat Tsuen....near to Kowloon Tong MTR and Festival walk shopping mall


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## bng229832

Hi, I'm an American expat living in Australia. My company has an opening in Hong Kong for 55k/m and I was wondering if anybody has had any trouble with language. (I can speak some conversational Cantonese and am fluent in French and English)


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## JWilliamson

Most if not all expats in Hong Kong do not speak a word of Cantonese and gets by very well.


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