HK or ShenZhen ???

[ouinouin]

Hi,
My company will send me (and my wife)in HK by April 15th.
They tell me that HK is really expensive (comparing to Beijing) and that i might consider living in ShenZhen and crossing the border everyday.
The office is in Kowloon.
- Can you tell me how long is the trip from Chenzhen to kowloon (customs included)? And how much does it cost ?
- If i choose ChenZhen:
1) is there a good expat life in ChenZhen (because francly Beijing is disappointing)
2) Is there a good fitness center (I go every day)
3) How much would be an appart for my wife and I?
4)What sector is good to live in (close to the transportation that goes to HK)
-If I choose HK:
Same questions without nbr 4.

[Mr.Bing]

Hi,
My company will send me (and my wife)in HK by April 15th.
They tell me that HK is really expensive (comparing to Beijing) and that i might consider living in ShenZhen and crossing the border everyday.
The office is in Kowloon.
- Can you tell me how long is the trip from Chenzhen to kowloon (customs included)? And how much does it cost ?
- If i choose ChenZhen:
1) is there a good expat life in ChenZhen (because francly Beijing is disappointing)
2) Is there a good fitness center (I go every day)
3) How much would be an appart for my wife and I?
4)What sector is good to live in (close to the transportation that goes to HK)
-If I choose HK:
Same questions without nbr 4.

1) where in kowloon is your office?
2) what citizenship are you? (factor in border corssing)

[ouinouin]

I am french, and my wife is mexican.

I have REALLY no idea where in kowloon ... and it's hard to get the answer from my boss... so let's just say Kowloon.

[HKChigger]

Will be quite a long commute from Shenzhen to Kowloon. If you lived directly at the customs building you are looking minimum 1 hour each way.

Although Shenzhen is quite cheap keep in mind it is also a largely migrant city. So crime rate is quite high, lots of beggers (that follow you down the street) and I find quite a lack of English. Streets signs are in English and some people speak basic English. But, levels are much much lower than Hong Kong.

The expat life in Beijing is most likely stronger than Shenzhen. Not sure about HK. I find it ok here, but I am not a typical expat :P

In short I think visiting Shenzhen even if on a regular basis is better than living in Shenzhen. Perhaps move to Hong Kong for your first month and take a look at places in Hong Kong as well as Shenzhen. Get your opinion of both.

[ontheroad]

I'm French, and even with my HKID, it still takes a while to cross the border, (on the chinese side) and the worse part is they stamp a new page out of your passport every time so you'll be going through passports like they're rolls of toilet paper.
And everytime you need to renew a passport, you have to queue up at the French Embassy, they have to have it done in France and it takes about 3 weeks, and then you have to go back to the Embassy to pick it up : so all in all, it's a huge hassle! Find yourself a nice place in Kowloon or the new territories instead!
Plus, HK is a great place to live, it's really nice, people are incredibly friendly.

[geo-seb]

The commute from Shenzhen to Kowloon takes a lot more than one hour during peak times. It is not difficult to find cheap but decent accomodation in Hong Kong. Especially in Sha Tin and Tai Po areas.

[ouinouin]

Ok guys, thank you very much, you have made my choice REALLY EASY ... HK !!!
Now, where in HK because kowloon and central is TOO expensive for me, i am thinking of a 1000usd monthly budget max (everything included internet, water, gaz, electricity, ...)
Plus i will take transportation as i won't buy a car.
It's hard to get a map of HK islandS, ... can anyone give me the link to a map which point the districts names ???
Thanks a lot guys I really appreciate it !!!!


ouinouin

[HKChigger]

As for places I think you need a size range you want before anyone can offer places/prices. Also commute time, do you mind a commute of up to 1 hr. Or would you only go for 15 min/30 min? I have seen (very) small places with washroom clean and newly renovated for just under $300 USD monthly.

Should actually be able to get 700 sq feet plus with $1000 USD. Depending on district. Maybe even better if you live in the boons.

Let me know what area you work in and I will suggest a place with good rail/bus connections that is cheap.


As for your map http://www.ypmap.com/en/viewer.asp?m...ce=LocationMap
Fully interactive and you can zoom in.

[cafc619]

Try Tung Chung (near the airport) in Lantau Island - A newly developed district with quite a few expats living there. Rent is reasonably cheap. 8000 Hongkees (approx 1000 USD) can probably get you a 3 bedroom flat.

For transport you can take the MTR (tube) to Kowloon in less than 30 mins.


Or alternatively you can probably look at New Territories Towns like Ma On Shan or Tseun Mun, both further to commute than Tung Chung but rent is cheap.


Living in Shenzen is not recommended. The standard of all sorts just isn't as good as Hong Kong. Plus the commute cross border everyday will cost you a bundle, eventually you will get so frustrated in crossing the border everyday. Leisure day trip to Shenzen? Yes. Living there? A big no-no.

[ouinouin]

As for places I think you need a size range you want before anyone can offer places/prices. Also commute time, do you mind a commute of up to 1 hr. Or would you only go for 15 min/30 min? I have seen (very) small places with washroom clean and newly renovated for just under $300 USD monthly.

Should actually be able to get 700 sq feet plus with $1000 USD. Depending on district. Maybe even better if you live in the boons.

Let me know what area you work in and I will suggest a place with good rail/bus connections that is cheap.

I would be OK with a commute up to 30/35 minutes.
And by the way I just knew that the office is not in kowloon but WanChai!!!
I don't really mind if the commute is a little longer let's say 45 minutes ... but i would appreciate if i shouldn't have to change like 3 times of way to travel.

Thanks for the e-map it's great !!!