Hong Kong or Singapore??

heather23 · 29-01-2011, 03:10 PM

Hi,

I have been offered a choice of location and would like opinions. Two of us, mid 40's, no children, we live in the inner city in Melbourne, eat out a lot, love holidays in Asia ( Vietnam, Thailand), looking for a different life experience. One will be travelling for work ( Manilla, KL, Indonesia, HK and Singapore). Other looking for part time primary teaching work. We will hope to explore the region on the weekends and school holidays. Thanks

PDLM · 29-01-2011, 03:19 PM

See all the threads in the "Similar Threads" box below for the many, many times we have answered this question before:
vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv

John Doe Jr · 29-01-2011, 03:31 PM

The above suggestion to review previous posts on this topic will be worthwhile I'm sure.

Have you visited Hong Kong and Singapore before?

Perhaps you have a preference (based on experience or from what you've read or heard from others) which you can describe/explain to us. I'd be happy to comment on your specific issues or preconceptions while leaving the general stuff to the posts referred to by PDLM.

We lived in Melbourne for 7 years before coming to Hong Kong 7 years ago. While we have a child (now an adult!) and lived in the suburbs rather than the inner city, there may be some helpful insights Mrs Doe and I can share.

But be warned: I've only visited Singapore a few times and never lived there; and I'm a huge Hong Kong fan : )

gilleshk · 29-01-2011, 03:58 PM

As per suggested, it would be better to read the other threads about this topic to get a feel for it and then ask more specific questions. You're likely to get more pro HK views here since many people made their choice. In any case, there are pros and cons to either places and they are both interesting so it's really a matter of personal choice. One isn't per say better than the other...

There are probably more teaching positions available in HK though I don't believe it would be particularly difficult to find one in Sg...

jenga · 09-03-2011, 02:13 PM

Obviously lots of discussions on this one already but just to give u a few views from someone recently settled in HK but previously lived in Singapore for 6 years. so, I am no expert on HK but I do know my way around Singapore. My initial observations are the following:

In terms of language, HK is not as English friendly as compared to Singapore. Cantonese, followed by Mandarin are the most commonly spoken languages but as long as you do not venture into the remote regions, English speaking people are available. Compared to Singapore however, you can tell that many are not so comfortable speaking English. (purely based on my observation - staying near Yuen Long area so far away from HK city center)

The climate is quite different. Singapore only has 2 seasons, the rainy season (temperatures vary between 24 and 32 C and it rains a lot), the dry season (temperatures vary between 24 and 32 C and it does not rain so much). If you can handle the combination of heat and humidity, you will be fine. Suggest to spend a few weeks there to see first because I have seen people decide they cannot take it after staying there for a month. Hong Kong (as far as I can tell) has more seasonality; right now it is fairly cool (between 10 - 20 C) but the summer can be just as hot and humid as Singapore.

There are similarities as well, both places have excellent public transport systems and (as far as I can tell) quite efficient governmental services.

Owning and driving a car is definitely more expensive in Singapore - right now the costs are going thru the roof, but in HK I understand that parking is the main problem.

OK, that's about what I can share from my initial experiences, I hope it helps. Just my 2 cents trying to help out where others have helped me out here also ;-)