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Hong Kong is expensive but pay is shit - why do expats come here?

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  1. #71

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    May 2017
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    Quote Originally Posted by SonicYouth1:
    You should never generalise, in reality I have met many expats who are not making nearly as much as you think and are below the 50k salary point (and some way below) but some people may assume they're earning a lot by where they're living, or eating out often etc.
    I know many expats like these and still making lot of money, because of their home country currency rates. They're happy !

  2. #72
    Quote Originally Posted by ByeByeEngland:
    Why would anyone live in Sai Kung? Oh wait!

    The rent is comparatively cheap for more space and garden if you’re lucky.

    We’ve got the geopark

    We’ve got the trails.

    We’ve got arguably the best beaches in HK

    We’ve got plenty of outdoor eating.

    It’s very dog friendly (for those that have one, not me)

    When the crowds are flocking in at the weekend we can escape if needed.

    Many public transport choices.

    It’s still local enough not to be a Disco Bay or Stanley.

    When the crowds are stuck in traffic trying to get home at weekends we can come back on empty roads.



    I can understand when people first move here they feel the need to be close to work and close to schools but take a good look around HK and NT. I couldn’t wish for a better, more relaxing existence.
    One of Hong Kong's problem was it's lopsided development. Luckily that's slowly changing as new business districts open up and more companies are considering moving out of the CBD. My commute to my office takes 30 minutes by shuttle bus and MTR and this is how my kids spend the day during Covid-19 social distancing measures.

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    That surely beats this crap.

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  3. #73

    Join Date
    May 2011
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    Tin Shui Wai
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    Quote Originally Posted by ByeByeEngland:
    Why would anyone live in Sai Kung? Oh wait!

    The rent is comparatively cheap for more space and garden if you’re lucky.

    We’ve got the geopark

    We’ve got the trails.

    We’ve got arguably the best beaches in HK

    We’ve got plenty of outdoor eating.

    It’s very dog friendly (for those that have one, not me)

    When the crowds are flocking in at the weekend we can escape if needed.

    Many public transport choices.

    It’s still local enough not to be a Disco Bay or Stanley.

    When the crowds are stuck in traffic trying to get home at weekends we can come back on empty roads.



    I can understand when people first move here they feel the need to be close to work and close to schools but take a good look around HK and NT. I couldn’t wish for a better, more relaxing existence.
    Sai Kung is horrible. Buses are slow climbing up hill and takes more than half an hour to get to Choi Hung. Minibuses are always full. Roads are always congested on weekends. When you want to escape you are stuck inside the crowds. I have friends living there after retirement and they don't f**king want to get out on weekends. Unless you are a fisherman I see no fancy living there.

    If you work in the CBD Sai Kung is definitely a horrible place to live. Only if you work in Kowloon East or Shatin you will consider that. Once you are living there you have limited your work opportunities if you don't want your life to be miserable.
    TheBrit and Elegiaque like this.

  4. #74

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    Quote Originally Posted by ByeByeEngland:
    Why would anyone live in Sai Kung? Oh wait!

    The rent is comparatively cheap for more space and garden if you’re lucky.

    We’ve got the geopark

    We’ve got the trails.

    We’ve got arguably the best beaches in HK

    We’ve got plenty of outdoor eating.

    It’s very dog friendly (for those that have one, not me)

    When the crowds are flocking in at the weekend we can escape if needed.

    Many public transport choices.

    It’s still local enough not to be a Disco Bay or Stanley.

    When the crowds are stuck in traffic trying to get home at weekends we can come back on empty roads.



    I can understand when people first move here they feel the need to be close to work and close to schools but take a good look around HK and NT. I couldn’t wish for a better, more relaxing existence.
    Sai Kung is horrible. Buses are slow climbing up hill and takes more than half an hour to get to Choi Hung. Minibuses are always full. Roads are always congested on weekends. When you want to escape you are stuck inside the crowds. I have friends living there after retirement and they don't f**king want to get out on weekends. Unless you are a fisherman I see no fancy living there.

    If you work in the CBD Sai Kung is definitely a horrible place to live. Only if you work in Kowloon East or Shatin you will consider that. Once you are living there you have limited your work opportunities if you don't want your life to be miserable.

    Quote Originally Posted by sunyhk:
    I know many expats like these and still making lot of money, because of their home country currency rates. They're happy !
    I don't see they are bringing much take-home pay because the living costs in Hong Kong is so high because of the rent.

  5. #75

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    Trust me, Many are indeed making enough to live like kings in their home countries, later.


  6. #76

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    [QUOTE= I don't see they are bringing much take-home pay because the living costs in Hong Kong is so high because of the rent.[/QUOTE]

    I have been one of those expats and I can tell you, life is good, we have saved a lot, we now earn more and have saved enough to invest and also buy a place in South Lantau where we can enjoy hiking and water sports. The key is live within your means and save/invest. We wouldn't move back to either of our home countries because we would earn less, be taxed more and the weather is too cold to enjoy water sports for half of the year. Also HK is better for our careers.

    You sound like you hate living here, that's fine I couldn't wait to leave my home country, while many find it paradise, I prefer Hong Kong. Why don't you try and move to Sweden? You might be as happy there as we are here. Different places suit different people.


  7. #77

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    Feb 2009
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    8,280
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Tsang:
    I don't see they are bringing much take-home pay because the living costs in Hong Kong is so high because of the rent.
    I bought my Hong Kong flat for $6m in 2009 shortly after I arrived in HK. Now in 2020 I left HK and I can sell it for $14m, or I am just keeping it and collecting $26.5k per month in rent. So yes living costs are high in Hong Kong, this is why it's so great and I can make even more money than I could have in some other place with low living costs. My property increased $800k per year for doing nothing, just sitting around on my arse. Only in Hong Kong. Thanks to HK high living costs, I am set for life in Australia now!

  8. #78
    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Tsang:
    I don't see they are bringing much take-home pay because the living costs in Hong Kong is so high because of the rent.
    You have the wrong perspective. Don't look at the cost of living. Look at how to make more money. It's not difficult in this town. Two posters have already indicated that you're being underpaid. A bump in pay from under 20K to 25K could really help you in terms of reducing your housing cost. Apply yourself, do a little networking, and in a couple of years you can be at the 30K level. Then you find a partner who also makes 20-30K and together you will bring home 50-60K while you're still in your 20s.

  9. #79

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    Quote Originally Posted by civil_servant:
    You have the wrong perspective. Don't look at the cost of living. Look at how to make more money. It's not difficult in this town. Two posters have already indicated that you're being underpaid. A bump in pay from under 20K to 25K could really help you in terms of reducing your housing cost. Apply yourself, do a little networking, and in a couple of years you can be at the 30K level. Then you find a partner who also makes 20-30K and together you will bring home 50-60K while you're still in your 20s.
    How much I will get paid is not determined by me unless I change to another occupation (which is considered another market in employment). It is determined solely by supply and demand. Job listing websites have a lot of "market rates" for various occupations which I believe they are accurate enough as a reference. The above posters are offering 25k to a fresh grad, yet I have also seen other places offering 12.5k to a fresh grad as well.

    For example, if the job ad is stated as 25k such that everyone is attracted to it and apply for it, only the top candidate can get in, i.e. the one who knows 10+ programming languages, can do full-stack and also CI/CD and also secure the company network, etc. In contrast, if the job ad is stated without a set salary, only the one who is demanding the lowest can get in.

    I am underpaid because I'm not working in a private company. I'm now working in a university which the pay is restricted by official policies, however, it is impossible to get the same benefit in a private company such as more than 3 weeks of paid days off in addition to holidays, free medical consultation, free sports centres and swimming pools, etc.

    Also I haven't got a partner yet. I don't even know how I can find one. It's so difficult to find attractive girls who are not engaged, maybe I can meet one per a few years. Most girls I've met are not interesting to me, those who're interesting are commonly have their partner already.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kiz:
    You sound like you hate living here, that's fine I couldn't wait to leave my home country, while many find it paradise, I prefer Hong Kong. Why don't you try and move to Sweden? You might be as happy there as we are here. Different places suit different people.
    You know how hard it is to get a company sponsorship for a work visa.
    Last edited by Michael Tsang; 14-07-2020 at 02:40 PM.

  10. #80

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    Jan 2015
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    Low income tax and no capital gains tax are, financially speaking, great reasons to live in HK.

    You say there are no jobs, there are plenty if you know where to look. I would know, I'm a software developer and 'only' know 2 (3 at a stretch) languages. Maybe your skills are irrelevant or outdated to apply to many jobs? Study and learn more. Don't do just the minimum.

    I cherry picked pages in this thread, and in each of them you just complain. Do you complain this much in real life? Maybe that's why you're single.

    Drunken Master likes this.

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