Coming to HK in 2 Weeks, Advice on Accommodation Needed

[Veetmarg]

Dear all

As so many others, I’ll be coming to Hong Kong in about two weeks. Having work permit and a secure job it seems that the biggest issue at the moment is the accommodation.

My plan is to live at a hostel at the beginning and then slowly start to look for a small studio or room in a shared flat. So, the first question: could you recommend a cheap, but clean and cozy hostel? I found some on the web, but the first hand experience and recommendation is the best.

Nevertheless, I wouldn’t mind avoiding this stay in a hostel and moving directly into a more stable and friendly place. As I’ll be working at Cyberport, it would be convenient to live on HK Island—however, with 15K initial salary, I can’t afford much. Is it possible to find a relatively cheap place to live on HK Island? And how would I go about it? It’s obvious that if I wanted to rent a studio or a small flat, I could do so via an estate agent. But how do I find a room in a shared flat? Is there a place—except for Classifieds on this web—where people put their ads?

If somebody knew about a place that would fit my needs, I’d be extremely grateful if you let me know. I’m 25 years old, easy-going and quiet non-smoker, a keen sportsman (basketball, rock climbing, martial arts), interested in psychology, consciousness studies, etc. My job is in IT business. My apologies if it doesn’t belong here, I’ll put it into Classifieds as well.

Thank you very much in advance for all your help and advice. This place is an incredible source of information.

Kind regards,

Richard

[Cheesindave]

Hi Richard,

I have used Sun Kong Hostel in Causeway Bay a few times, when visiting HK. They are cheap (around $200 per night) and clean plus they are in an ideal location for buses, MTR etc. The staff are really helpful too.

http://www.sunkong.com.hk

With a salary of 15K you may be better trying to find an apartment away from HK Island, as you may only be able to afford a very small apartment in an old building. You can get much more for your money in various parts of Kowloon, other Islands such as Lamma and New Territories. Try this site.

http://www.gohome.com.hk

Or you may be better looking for a flat share if you want to live on HK Island.

One thing to bear in mind when looking for an apartment in HK, is most agents require 2 -3 months rent as a deposit plus commission, which can be costly as first.

Good luck.

[jen24]

Richard,

If you're working in Cyberport then you may want to consider areas like kennedy town and Aberdeen to live. Both have links direct to Cyberport, are residential and you can easily find rents within your budget.

good luck!

[KnowItAll]

Veet, we're in Cyberport too.

You can also get a direct bus from Causeway Bay, so apartments / hostels in that area will also work. The bus fare is about $8/trip.

[KnowItAll]

>> Lamma and New Territories

Will cost over $20-30 / trip.

[kellytam]

Hi,
My friend has a small flat in Kennedy Town. To know more information, please send an email to her at [email protected]
Kelly

[jen24]

causeway bay rents tend to be a lot higher though compared to quieter residential areas like kennedy town, sheung wan or aberdeen.

[Veetmarg]

Thanks a lot for all the information and advice. It seems like the best thing to do, really, is to come over, stay in a hostel and then look around for the accommodation. It's hard to decide where to live if I don't know the locations, etc.

Any suggestion on how to go flat share hunting? There are very few ads in the classifieds sections.

[Veetmarg]

Thanks a lot, Jen. You've been very helpful.

[KnowItAll]

jen24 : causeway bay has a lot of cheap hostels in the $200-300 / day range.