Job Discussion Forums

izzy272 · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 29 Location: Shanghai

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

newteach · Joined: 09 Sep 2004 Posts: 13

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

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

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!

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

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.

Mark-O · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:13 am Post subject:

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 7:43 am Post subject:

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).

Mark-O · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:01 am Post subject:

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.

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 8:15 am Post subject:

'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.

Mark-O · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 9:12 am Post subject:

That is impressive.

In addition, isn't broadband really cheap? As a comparison with the UK, broadband prices here hover around �20 for a restricted service (~2-5 Gig download per month) and around 1Mb bandwidth. How does HK compare with, say, Netvigator or such like?

The cell phone contracts, which friends have told me about, can be so competitive that international calls to specific countries can actually be free at certain times!

With this standard for cost-of-living it is immediately apparent that we're being ripped off left, right and centre here in the UK! All the more reason to get out ...

Ludwig · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2004 3:34 pm Post subject:

lagerlout2006 · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 985

Yes it was on the block where Chungking is...A local showed me. And it was fine---I wish I could find such a deal in Shanghai. The drinks were only one brand---a promotion type thing I guess. The menu was a bit pricey though--a lot of it over 100. But that' s a pub for you.

From the sound of you guys HK is even a bit cheaper (or can Be) than I thought...Not to hijack this but the Mainland is expensive. Teachers like to think "We make a fortune compared to locals." It's not true. Every time I go to a downtown I'm walking by shops full of things I can't afford---on an average salary. Who is buying this stuff? Maybe no-one is and they are about to go bankrupt I don't know...

Mark-O · Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2004 8:23 am Post subject:

wulong · Joined: 19 Sep 2004 Posts: 1 Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Ludwig · Posted: Wed Sep 22, 2004 9:58 am Post subject:

Thanks for an interesting first post, 'Wulong', though personally at least I do not require translations for the Chinese script (though thanks for providing them). Yes, I too have been to Mi, though I think I went to the one in Kowloon Tong's Festival Walk that has all the independent stalls around the edge of the floor space (though I recently noticed that they seem to have taken these away).

Out of interest, do you really (i.e., seriously) think grub on the Mainland meets the same standards of hygiene as that offered in HK and that it is of an equal quality?

Remember also that here in HK restaurants you do not have to suffer and endure countless peasants surrounding you wearing their 'wife beater' vests, spitting on the floor, shouting to their friends on another continent, adopting the king of the world pose, throwing one Yuan notes down on the counter as if they were $1,000 HK notes (observations, at least in this form, due to 'Team P'), demanding that you 'down in one' sickly rancid 'beer' from pathetic little shot glasses.

Having said that, yes, of course some - perhaps a lot - of the food is overpriced in HK, at least to people traveling through who do not earn a HK salary, that is. For the rest of us who do, it is really very cheap indeed!

Furthermore, it is immeasurably cheaper than any equivalent restaurants in, say, the UK. Furthermore, HK surely wins hands down on the variety front.

once again · Joined: 27 Jan 2003 Posts: 815

Nice to see that you have given up on those racist stereotypes there Luddy. Or is this another example of jest?