How much money will I need per day in HK?

Closed Thread
  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    38

    How much money will I need per day in HK?

    I'm staying for a month and already have my apartment sorted out. Can anyone tell me roughly how much I'll need to get by on? I'll probably go sightseeing etc every other day and will go out to eat sometimes but will probably cook a lot of the time too. So with food, travel and entertainment, roughly how much do you think I need to budget for per day?


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    CWB
    Posts
    411

    A month of sight-seeing and eating out (albeit at intervals)... on a budget I'd guess an average of HK$500 per day would be enough. That could easily jump to HK$1,000 per day if you're not too careful. Taking buses and trains, rather than taxis, would help to keep costs down. Public parks are free, however Ocean Park will set you back a bit. You might like to go out on a boat and see the pink dolphins, and that'll cost you, too. And then there's the theatre and so on... These aren't huge expenses, individually, but they all add up and I'm just trying to get an idea in my head of how they might break down to a daily average.

    I'd be fairly confident that a month in HK could be done on HK$500 per day, however up from there it really depends on your shopping and dining tastes. Dinner at a local noodle joint could cost you HK$15, while you could drop upwards of HK$2,000 for a light dinner at Felix without even troubling to stay for the coffee.


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    76

    wow hkd500 thats alot.
    lets see , 21.40 x 2 + 30 + 8.80 + 20 = i only need hkd101 per day with entertainment , food , lol city sight seeing plus sea sight seeing , transportation (without my octopus card) . 500? thats my 1 day salary.. lol..

    Last edited by kreyzie; 22-12-2008 at 12:33 PM.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    CWB
    Posts
    411

    Sure, 500 would be a lot for me, too, if it were a normal month. But then again I walk to work, almost never take taxis anywhere, know all the cheapest local eateries, shop only for day-to-day groceries and don't visit tourist attractions.

    Flag-fall on taxis is $18 these days, isn't it? And if you don't know your way around, are going from tourist spot to tourist spot, or otherwise prefer the convenience of being driven around HK, then taxis alone could add $100 or more per day to your bill. If you were to stay in the same hotel as my brother's company chose when they last came to HK, then it's $200+ in a taxi just to reach TST.

    It's a couple of hundred to go to Ocean Park. About $500 (I think) to go out on a boat to see the pink dolphins. Then there's the Ngong Ping 360 at around $160 (including entry to the Buddha). $10 for the galleries at the Arts Centre represents great value for money, however performances of Handel's Messiah or Karl Lo's piano recital will set you back between $50 and $200. The Star Ferry Harbour Tour is about $50, I think, and the Peak Tram is around $33 (return), with the Sky Terrace adding a few dollars on top of that.

    These in themselves aren't exactly 'big ticket' expenses, however they do add costs to a tourist itinerary which an HK local wouldn't normally meet. Then, of course, there are the shopping items. Who comes to HK and doesn't visit a tailor? A few hundred for a shirt. A few thousand for a suit. The night markets are great for finding bargains, however bags full of gifts for family and friends soon start to add up.

    In coming up with a $500 per day figure, I tried to estimate how much I might spend in a month as a tourist and then break that down to a daily average. It could certainly be done cheaper. No doubt about that. It could also, however, end up costing quite a bit more.


  5. #5

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Kowloon
    Posts
    1,184
    Quote Originally Posted by M Khan:
    About $500 (I think) to go out on a boat to see the pink dolphins
    Nah, you can do this for 20 bucks

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Gold Coast Marina
    Posts
    17,934

    I have to say I think 500 is abit rich. There is no need whatsoever to take any taxis while you are here - public transport is excellent and I doubt you are in a hurry if you are on holiday! Finding out how to get somewhere is half the fun.

    Food can be really cheap - just avoid the western places and you will be fine. If you must east "western" then delifrance is about as cheap as it gets, or ebenezers for curry/kebabs.

    As for attractions - I agree, they can be expensive to get into - but if you are on a budget then don't go for the big-ticket items, so the cheap stuff - take a trip across the harbour in the star ferry (HKD2); take a trip on the normal trams - great for HKD2; walk up to the peak rather than take the expensive tram (you get to see mid-levels and get some exercise too); forget the pink dolphins, you'll be lucky to spot any anyway they are so rare.

    Things like the temples etc are mainly free; wandering around the different districts is not expensive; choose the cheap museums etc.

    You'll be fine.


  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Kowloon
    Posts
    1,184
    Quote Originally Posted by MovingIn07:
    forget the pink dolphins, you'll be lucky to spot any anyway they are so rare.
    I've been twice and seen them both times. Maybe I'm just lucky!

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Posts
    76

    i paid 20bucks for dolphins too but end up nth came in way. oh tai o is the place.. lol and i enjoy the hkd2 ferry trip from wanchai to tst.