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Perilla
Joined: 09 Jul 2010
Posts: 792
Location: Hong Kong
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 Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 2:13 am Post subject: |
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| Jospeh wrote: |
| What comprises "the expatriate lifestyle" and how much does it cost? |
I've been in Asia for 13 years (in HK for 11), but not sure I (or anybody) can answer that question. Obviously, it depends on individual habits as well as income. There are all sorts of expats here, and what constitutes an expensive restaurant for one expat might be considered cheap by others.
Living on 13K a year must be quite feasible given that the median HK salary is only about 15K, and presumably families are being raised on that amount. Then again, locals have obvious advantages over expats (the local language and local knowledge, for example) and have an inbuilt obsession with saving money (or at least avoiding spending it!) that most westerners lack.
To some extent I think how much money you can happily survive on depends on your age, with youngsters fresh out of college generally happier on a low income and not too bothered about eating in fancy restuarants or living in an expensive apartment.
I certainly don't regard myself as high-end (I know I'm not!) but I'd regard HK$60-100 for a meal out as dirt cheap. (I just spent $48 on fresh orange juice and small 'breakfast' sandwich on my way into work, never mind lunch and dinner). I'm well aware that if I were hard up I could buy snacks or eat out at much cheaper places.
Most of my colleagues (HK Chinese), many of whom earn more than I do, wouldn't dream of spending $48 on a pre-work morning snack - they'd prefer to get something for a third of the price at 7-11, or wait until lunch and spend $20 (or whatever) on something grim at Cafe de Coral.
I'm not criticising anybody - just a brief comment on the vagaries of age, relativity, choice and income. |
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Daniel1234
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:08 am Post subject: FAT CATS ! |
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| G'day mate, I moved here 4 years ago with my wife, the advice your getting must be coming from rich people that like to spend or party animals. Ha ha no offence everyone, but me and my wife who is a native have expenses of 3000-4000/month not including rent. We live very much like locals buying food at the markets, and cooking which can make a nice meal for around 60$ we don't party much though - if you wanted to drink at Lan Kwai Fong you could easily spend $1000 in a night. Here's a good example a drink in a pub here may cost 50$ but at 7/11 it costs 10$ We eat out plenty of the time, but we only occaisonally go to buffets meals or more expensive resteraunts so it only costs 30 - 100$. Now if you are not fussy but quite practical, $13000 is enough money to have plenty of fun and even save while covering your living expenses. We went on a 7 day holiday to Cebu for $10000 2 people including flight. You could save enough to have about 10 of those a year if you were spending a similar anount to us. Feel free to contact me if you want more details - Daniel... [email protected] |
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Daniel1234
Joined: 14 Sep 2010
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Wed Sep 15, 2010 12:32 am Post subject: also - |
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| I hesitate to waste time by posting in a place where there are so many conflicting opinions, but I think the word being overlooked here is Prudence ! So which sort are you ? If you like to party you may find the bottle running low, if you live like a local as I do and comparatively most westerners are burning their money because they haven't got enough caviar - you won't have a problem. |
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RiverMystic
Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 1986
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| Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:59 am Post subject: |
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I'm not sure how 3000-4000 a month for two people is at all possible. That is as little as $50 a day each. I spend significantly more than that per day on transport alone ($70), although I do commute long distances.
Most HKers live frugally because they have no choice. The average wage is $10 000 per month, and $18000 per household. But the fact is the average 'state of well-being' is miserable, and I suspect most Hong Kongers would be diagnosed as having a low grade depression, if tested.
Money and spending it doesn't make you happy, but living like a beggar is a pretty good path to misery.
The best things in life are free - smiling faces, free time to walk in parks and beside rivers and ocean shores, laughing conversation between strangers on a train. Too bad the odds of ever engaging in these activities is unfeasibly short in Hong Kong. About as short as the book The Intelligent Public Remarks of Jackie Chan. |
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bradley
Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 235
Location: China
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| Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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| If you don't go to clubs or pay for girls for their time you can survive. The question is it if it "doable". I just wouldn't want to do it. |
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Serious_Fun
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 1171
Location: terra incognita
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| Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:09 pm Post subject: |
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| RiverMystic wrote: |
| The best things in life are free - smiling faces, free time to walk in parks and beside rivers and ocean shores, laughing conversation between strangers on a train. Too bad the odds of ever engaging in these activities is unfeasibly short in Hong Kong. About as short as the book The Intelligent Public Remarks of Jackie Chan. |
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7969
Joined: 26 Mar 2003
Posts: 5782
Location: Coastal Guangdong
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| Posted: Tue Jan 11, 2011 6:37 am Post subject: |
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| as with anywhere some people can live what they deem to be a comfortable lifestyle on a certain amount, while others can't imagine living decently on the same amount. its like that all over the world and hong kong is no exception. |
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