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HK cost of living
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izzy272



Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 29
Location: Shanghai

PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 3:22 am    Post subject: HK cost of living Reply with quote

I am sure that this has been beatten to death but please can someone help me out with a answers.
I would like to know from someone who has lived in both HK and China.

I have been offered a job in HK at 20k Hk dollars a month. I have been in China living well on 16K RMB How much higher is the cost of living in HK? Can I live as well at that pay rate in HK as I did in China?

I thank you
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newteach



Joined: 09 Sep 2004
Posts: 13

PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 5:32 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I would put it like this.

A senior secretary in Beijing or Shanghai or Guangzhou makes about 1000RMB a month.

A senior secretary in HK would make about $20,000 a month.

Blue collar workers in China make 300RMB a month on average. Blue collar wokers in HK make about $6000 a month.

So living in China for what you are making will definitely give you more milelage Wink

Blessings
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Joachim



Joined: 01 Oct 2003
Posts: 311
Location: Brighton, UK

PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 9:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

From my experience 16000RMB would allow for a very comfortable standard of living on the Mainland (unless you're in Shanghai), 20K in HK wouldn't let you have the same financial freedom - although many survive well on less than that.

Your living space would certainly be smaller!
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lagerlout2006



Joined: 17 Sep 2003
Posts: 985

PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2004 4:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

HK is not so expensive. (Maybe for rent) I stayed in a hotel for 100 HK a night which is in fact cheaper than even a small town on the mainland. Drink prices were similar. 20 or so. Food was a little pricier but no more than Shanghai.

That all being said 16 is a Kings ransom in China.
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Mark-O



Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 464
Location: 6000 miles from where I should be

PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:13 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lagerlout2006 wrote:
HK is not so expensive. (Maybe for rent) I stayed in a hotel for 100 HK a night which is in fact cheaper than even a small town on the mainland. Drink prices were similar. 20 or so...


Yes, 20HKD or so from the 7/11 maybe! Bar prices, even in happy hour, have always seemed extortionate to me - and this coming from someone who has had to endure London prices!

The 100HKD rent sounds like Chungking Mansions territory; if not, please tell. Wink
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Ludwig



Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 1096
Location: 22� 20' N, 114� 11' E

PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, I live here, have done for some years now, and I would have to agree with Lagerlout. Indeed, I have daily evidence that HK is cheaper than China in most - if not all - regards. The reason for this is that most common everyday names and services are the same price as the grim Mainland (MacDonald's and Pizza Hut being a prime example), though, of course, everyone here earns at least 7 or 8 times more (thus, in effect, such items are vastly cheaper 'percentage of salary-wise'). In fact, what do people on the grim Mainland do, have a pizza once a season or something? (Or do they actually spend a whole day's wages on one?)

I do not know what the big fuss over rent is. Many posts here pay full rent, others pay some thereof. When I was a NET, for example, I was given a monthly housing allowance of some $13,000 a month on top of my salary (which itself was already high). Indeed, for two whole two-year contracts I never once spent more than 25% of my salary. Rather, I simply lived on the allowance. Mind you, I suppose much of this is only available to qualified and experienced professionals. My present third floor split-level open plan 900 square foot flat (with the whole roof to myself, too) up in the tree-lined hills overlooking Sai Kung costs a mere $3,500 HK a month. I would be interested in knowing how much a similar property (if such a thing exists) on the Mainland would be (I suspect it would be 30 or 40,000 Yuan a month).
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Mark-O



Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 464
Location: 6000 miles from where I should be

PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ludwig,

I agree that in many regards Hong Kong cost-of-living appears to be very reasonable, and, in some respects, pretty cheap. Flat/house rental prices can be far more reasonable than, say, London.

Utility bills (I am told) are low; cell phone contracts are highly competitive; food is so cheap that many people choose to dine out on a daily basis.

But, I still believe that the one way of getting stung financially in Hong Kong is by indulging in the nightlife.
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Ludwig



Joined: 26 Apr 2004
Posts: 1096
Location: 22� 20' N, 114� 11' E

PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

'Mark-O', I think you are certainly correct as regards property prices in HK and London, though I would argue that HK is cheaper than most if not all capital cities. Utility bills here are a joke and they put the UK, for example, to utter shame. I use a lot of power, especially during summer. Nevertheless, I have never paid more than $1,000 in a two month period all in (and that is gas, water, and electricity)! That is less than 90 quid! Remember also that telephone calls here are free as long as you only call another HK number. How many states in the world have free telephone calls? Does the grim Mainland?

I honestly can not remember the last time I ate at home; there is simply no need. I live in a small village and it seems that everyone here eats out three times a day, seven days a week. I pay $10 for my breakfast (a decent breakfast on the Mainland would cost around 60 or 70 Yuan as you have to go to a hotel), between $20 and $50 for my lunch, around $15 for a tea snack, and usually around $30 for my dinner. So, in short, that is around a fiver a day in UK terms. Of course, if I choose to eat at any of the restaurants on campus, this already low amount falls considerably.
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Mark-O



Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 464
Location: 6000 miles from where I should be

PostPosted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That is impressive.

In addition, isn't broadband really cheap? As a comparison with the UK,