Cost of Living in Hong Kong

A stable currency, low tax rate, and an Expatriate salary.

Sounds good, right?

Not to be sneezed at but must be weighted against Hong Kong’s high cost of living. Alcohol is highly taxed, although buying beer from the supermarket isn’t too dear, too many nights in Lan Kwai Fong will leave you a little stressed come tax time. Fuel comes in around Euro prices although the public transport system is so good many get by without a car. Newly registered cars are prohibitively taxed… which is the idea it seems.

Groceries; expect to pay more for what you’re used to as it has probably been imported. Fruit and vegetables come in imported or mainland (local) varieties. Imported is obviously more expensive and, while its not exactly an environmentally aware choice to eat Brazilian beans in Hong Kong, many choose this type of option due to the reports of banned chemicals and toxic levels of pesticides that have been discovered in & on many of the mainland meats, fruits, and vegetables.

Wondering why your chosen company is offering such a generous accommodation package. Stop wondering… you’ll need every cent to even approximate what you lived in back home for a fraction of the price. Have a look through the Hong Kong Rental & For Sale sections above… its expensive is what it is. But that’s Hong Kong property.

And you’re going to use electricity like you’ve never used it before. 8 months of the year you’ll be running air-conditioners so that you can think without sweating. You’ll also have a family of de-humidifiers running so that you can actually enjoy that cool air in your house without your running shoes growing mushrooms. 3 months of the year you’ll have heaters running to take the edge of the frigid air that blows in from Tibet and the two weeks on either side is when you get to use that over-priced BBQ you bought. Well, sort of…

Tired of over paying for under staffed child minding services back home? Don’t have time to cook so eating out all the time? Not in Hong Kong as for less than HK$4000/mth you might employ a full-time domestic helper who will live in the smallest room in your house, do the groceries, cook your dinners and clean up your mess all while helping with the kids- 6 days a week. There is a minimum wage for these under-appreciated women as are there restrictions to their employment, so best to get further details from the government website. Keep in mind the “minimum” in minimum wage, more often than not you get what you pay for. A word of caution that probably could go without saying; you are inviting a stranger to live in your house and trusting them with your children- do your homework!