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

[Michael Tsang]

The cost of living in Hong Kong is mostly the same as London which is known as ridiculously expensive. It takes about HK$20k / month to rent a 1-room apartment which is even more than the average salary of a web developer (in contrast, the average salary in London is about £55k / annum, which is equivalent to HK$33k / month after tax, only in small cities the rent is affordable). The only pro about Hong Kong is its lower taxes but it is offset by much lower earning.

In Europe, I can earn the same amount of money while living at a place which is 50% cheaper to live, or earn double the amount I currently earn while living in a big city, with much more work-life balance, days off, etc.

Why do expats still come to this shit place?

[london008]

Rather a sweeping generalisation there I think. Our place in Tung Chung is 15k (2 bed, few years built, extremely modern), great pool, gym etc I would never get in the UK.. By contrast lets compare things to the UK where I am right now. Council Tax about 2k a month, electricity, water and gas bills double the price of my bills in HK. Running the car, petrol, insurance, car tax, maintenance all ridiculous and add up massively. I save money living in HK, and certainly save next to nothing whilst in the UK. I can easily say it is more expensive for my family unit to live in HK than the UK, when I account for the ridiculous tax bill and every other bill that drops through the door almost continually. Impossible to do a like for like, all based on individual comparisons, exact locations.

[emx]

a web developer

You do not have to live here to do that.

[aw451]

Most expats don't take entry level developer jobs and the average expat salary is 1.4 million /year. That's probably why.

Also, many don't live in expensive housing developments. I live in a so-so apartment on the island and pay 10k/mo rent. I could pay more but there's more to life than filling a big flat with tons of possessions.

For info, we take fresh grad developers (local or IANG) and pay them 25k so if you have experience and are being paid under 20k you should ask for a raise or change job. I'm looking for mid-senior level devs so if you send me your CV we can try to hook you up with an interview.

[Michael Tsang]

Most expats don't take entry level developer jobs and the average expat salary is 1.4 million /year. That's probably why

For reference, we take fresh grad developers and pay them 25k so if you have experience and are being paid under 20k you should ask for a raise or change job.

Job listing websites are listing the average salary of a web developer as about 18k so you are already paying much more than the market usual.

The worst job I did in Hong Kong was paying me 13.5k only which I left in 4 months when my responsibility did not match the JD. It was one of the very few jobs available outside the city centre, because I lived outside the city at that time and just applied for a job nearby, turned out that job was shit.

[Morrison]

OP probably never got an expat offer

[mrgoodkat]

Most expats are in an advanced stage in life and their careers making way more than 20k. A lot of them also have parts of their housing covered. Together with HK's low tax it's not a bad preposition for a while.

[nihaobitches]

This should be good!

[aw451]

Job listing websites are listing the average salary of a web developer as about 18k so you are already paying much more than the market usual.

The worst job I did in Hong Kong was paying me 13.5k only which I left in 4 months when my responsibility did not match the JD. It was one of the very few jobs available outside the city centre, because I lived outside the city at that time and just applied for a job nearby, turned out that job was shit.

Don't use the job listing sites, use your network. The jobs listed on listing sites are just the ones that couldn't be filled using the lister's network and they are usually crappy "IT dog" (to use the local vernacular) style jobs.

[Michael Tsang]

Don't use the job listing sites, use your network. The jobs listed on listing sites are just the ones that couldn't be filled using the lister's network and they are usually crappy "IT dog" (to use the local vernacular) style jobs.

I don't have a network. All the people I know are either in different profession (most people I know are doctors or nurses) or have already gone overseas.