[Poll] Stay or Leave Hong Kong

[Edwardstorm]

I know very well though, every place has it's ups and downs. There is no utopia, unfortunately. Grass is definitely greener on the other side...

That's definitely true ... and we thought a few years ago that Hong Kong would be a place we could see ourselves living for another 10 year or so, after a holiday in Europe that somehow changed to three years and more recently we decided to move to Europe next year and let our daughter start high school there. Been struggling as to the where but decided to go to Portugal after a few visits there. Sense of community, friendliness, great food and wines, laid back life, clean air ...... and like you say...every place has it's up and downs but Hong Kong is on the down side for us now.

[East_coast]

Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..

Don't worry. Hong Kong hasn't really changed that much in 20 years. It is still a great town in many ways. I guess for some of the old lags it is the lack of progress in the city combined with the decay on the governance side that results in the city feeling as though it is going backwards. If you want to come and enjoy Hong Kong for a few years that is still perfectly possible.

[tw888]

Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..

I like to add, I don't regret coming to HK. I learnt alot and started my family here which give me a different perspective to one I had when I came back.

HK to me is all about money. You can make alot (albeit in long hours) and especially if your good at investments.

In my opinion, if your single or in a relationship with no kids HK can be quite good to make some cash, meet ppl etc. The convenience of eating out, late shopping and everything being in close proximity is still the same as it was 10 years ago.

Just that after you have kids, you eat out less, you more likely to go shopping at supermarkets or kids clothing stores, you probably move to the New Territories (like i did) due to cannot afford 3 bedroom in the city and also better air quality/less crowding.

Also, the working environment is not great for english speaker or more precisesly, non-mandarin speakers. More banks and major corps now work more closely with China and alot of european/us companies are moving away or downsizing. So if you speak Mandarin, you will be fine. If not, you probably want to start learning as its importance will only grow.

[civil_servant]

Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..

The same happens on any expat forum in the world. The greater the cultural differences, the greater the complaints get over the years. Especially once people have decided to make an exit, then the grass gets greener on the other side by the day. It's only natural. Moving, especially with a family can be quite emotional. Hence people trump up the positives of the move.

[huja]

Happened upon this thread. For a newbie in the process of moving from London to HK, all your posts are very concerning..

Don't sweat it. You'll be swimming for the first six months. Then you get the hang of it, like you learned the secret handshake. Then it'll sneak up on you how well you like it. Then you'll realize it isn't going to last forever and need to have an exit/retirement plan. The entire process will likely take years and you'll have some good times and make lasting friendships. I would guess if there were another poll asking GXPers if they regret their decision to come to HKG, very few would answer yes.

Also, complaining is the national sport of HKG. You can't take it all to heart.

[MerMer]

The humidity in the summer alone is enough to eventually drive anyone out of HK. Feels like a freaking jungle during the summer.

Yes the humidity is intense, but it's also the only time of the year with generally first world air quality. I can't breathe properly in winter, and I've lost patience being the only gweilo in a workplace where colleagues believe the "fresh" air should be let in when the AQI is like 190.

[ren32]

I love it! I always have since the moment I landed here in 1977.
I never want to move out
I am in a wonderful care home, I love the people, the weather the food , everything.
( and before you get me certified, I just had my annual psycho test and came top of the whole community!)

[Elegiaque]

I love it! I always have since the moment I landed here in 1977.
I never want to move out
I am in a wonderful care home, I love the people, the weather the food , everything.
( and before you get me certified, I just had my annual psycho test and came top of the whole community!)

That's the thing though, if you came back then and bought back then, then you're all right. Unfortunately housing just isn't affordable here if you've arrived after 2012.

[Beanieskis]

I think there is a huge "grass is greener" issue going on.

Firstly, if you have a huge amount of money and can afford not to work, or have a business that you can run from anywhere, then sure there are probably better places to live that have cheaper housing and less pollution.

However, if your career means you need to work in a major global financial centre, and you earn over the income threshold that makes you better off in HK, I really don't think there's a better place to be. Which other global financial centre would allow you to; pay very low tax and therefore save and invest a lot (assuming you're sensible and don't overpay on rent); live 10-30 mins from your office, and yet also be able to be outside hiking up a mountain, visiting great beaches or on the sea in under an hour; employ domestic help that allows you to spend your weekends enjoying quality time with your family, not cleaning washing shopping; enjoy great public services including an almost free healthcare system and very cheap and efficient public transport; take taxis everywhere because they're so cheap; dine out in a fantastic restaurant at all price points every day of the year; earn enough to be able to travel and enjoy seeing the world? My list could go on.

Sure, if you want to downsize your career you may be able to go and live somewhere with cheaper housing, no pollution, plenty of outdoor activities - but for most of us with careers in HK that kind of location is not a viable option unless we want to give up a lot. The options would be say London, New York or Singapore, all of which have compromises.

I know a lot of people moving to London; taxes are high; unless you live in central London which is as expensive as HK, you will have an awful commute on a packed hot public transport system; your family life will suffer as domestic help is very far from affordable; taxis are expensive; if you like the great outdoors you're looking at 3-4 hours drive in Friday night traffic to get to anywhere properly rural or beachy. I love London, but you need to be significantly more wealthy to enjoy the same standard of living there than you do in HK.

Singapore is the other destination that people seem to list, and it does tick a lot of the same boxes as HK - but if you like the great outdoors you will be very bored in Singapore - that would be a major negative for me.

So for me, in the middle of a career I enjoy and just starting a family, HK ticks all the boxes. It's not perfect, sure. I'd love to be able to live in a property I owned here but that would only be an option if I downsized or liquidated a lot of other assets. I wish the pollution was not as bad. But when I hold HK up and compare it to other locations where I could continue my career, it wins by a mile.

[TheBrit]

So for me, in the middle of a career I enjoy and just starting a family, HK ticks all the boxes .

I think this is the key point. For many people, (including us)- when your children are a bit older the downsides of living in a small city state like Hong Kong become far more apparent.