Cost of living in HK

[HKChigger]

Hey, not really sure how these things work, but hey! here goes...

I might be moving to HK soon but wanted to find out a few things:

what is the weekly cost of food shopping? ( i know that stuff is expensive but how much?)

which area is the cheapest area to live in HK? Maybe somewhere near the airport, such as DB or TC?

When moving into a new place, are you required to stay for a year or can you get a shorter lease and is the bond situation the same as in oz- bond is 4weeks rent?

Thanks!!! Would be appreciated if someone would give me some general info on the areas!!

Well not sure what you mean by cheapest area to live in Hong Kong, relative to size is what matters. If you are looking for like 100sq. feet or something the best deals will be out in East Kowloon and maybe even Sham Shui Po/Cheung Sha Wan area.

If you are looking for a proper flat type deal 700sq feet or so than maybe heading for like Sai Kung and Clear Water Bay may be suitable. Get half of a village house for $6000-$7000 often times.

Depends all the features you want.

[pommiechick]

Hey "SMARTIE PANTS".... Thanks for that!!!! Crabs? well, if i do i hope i'll be near a hospital ( allergic to shellfish). I mean in general, the average, normal, sensible, not extreme but 'pommie' amount of food shopping?????????????

It's not inportant, i'm going to Hk in feb so i can do my crab shopping then!

[PDLM]

It's still impossible to come up with a figure... so many variables.

Will you buy meat from, say, China, or insist on super prime USDA?
Milk from HK, or Australia?
Will you really eat in much (many single people find it's just as cheap to eat out, so rarely bother; if money's tight you can get a filling three course meal for HK$50)?
Do you drink (alcohol)?
Will you drink the tap water (generally pretty safe) or bottled?
Do your vegetables have to be organically grown?

and so on...

[pommiechick]

Wow!!! I catch your drift!!! So basically you can eat cheap or expensive depending on what you want... just like most places!!!! Thats a good enough answer for me! Thanks!

[carang]

i wasn't being sarcastic with my reply about crabs or instant noodles.

i was just trying to point out that as with anything, what one person considers a "necessity" another might consider a "luxury". how are we, complete strangers, supposed to know what YOU consider a necessity (as per PDLM's answer)?

there is no such thing as an "average person's" spending on food. my helper can make lunch and dinner for 3 adults and one toddler with $100/day. other people spend more than that on breakfast.

[pommiechick]

ok! Thanks! i just had to find out some information about the rough costs of things...

[Kary]

well it would really depend on your family size, your eating preference and your preference for food : frozen or fresh

For a family of two , the normal grocery from say a store like Welcome
( where there are buy 1 get 1 schemes at every point of time ) is about
400-500 HKD per week. It would be total of grocery and house hold utilities that would amount to that much.

But if you are into a lot of frozen food, meat items, sauces and other frills etc...it could be more.

[jimbo]

If you are looking for a proper flat type deal 700sq feet or so than maybe heading for like Sai Kung and Clear Water Bay may be suitable. Get half of a village house for $6000-$7000 often times.

Depends all the features you want.

You'll get a third of a village house not half.

Rent can be anything from $3000 a month for your own place to well over $100k if you want a nice place on the peak etc.

[RastaMan]

Log into http://www.parknshop.com/WebShop/Home.do and check the prices. They are the same in the shops themselves.