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Rough costing

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  1. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by PDLM:
    Is there any situation for which you wouldn't suggest this?
    indeed. however in this case, i would say it's warranted if she considers the ESF school in Tsing Yi as an option, in which case schooling, hubby's commute and dogs are well catered for

    DB is certainly an option, but i would also seriously suggest to leave the two dogs back home and move without them. hong kong is not made for dogs in my view.

    re schooling, calculate HK$10k/month per kid for international schools and 5-7k/month for ESF (or much less going local of course).

    my gut feel considering 3 kids x 10k, living costs 30k for such a family, taxes 20k, your max budget is 40k. not much if you want more than 900 sqf on hong kong island, e.g. tai tam/south side is likely out of question.

  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by cookie09:
    my gut feel considering 3 kids x 10k, living costs 30k for such a family, taxes 20k, your max budget is 40k. not much if you want more than 900 sqf on hong kong island, e.g. tai tam/south side is likely out of question.
    Agree. Especially if you want to ainm to actually save a little, which for many is part of the aim of living in HK.

  3. #13

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    problem with tsing yi esf is that it is ONLY kindergarten. i think the primary school for that area is beacon hill (?). i'm not sure what the enrollment prospects are for that school, although i have a friend whose daughter goes there and seems to really enjoy it.

    no reason you have to/should leave your dogs in sydney, especially considering that is not where you are originally from. there are MANY dog owners/lovers in hk, lots of places you can take your dog (although not many places you can take big dogs off-leash), and lots of options for boarding/kenneling when/if you go on holiday.

    if hubby commutes by car to ifc, then even as far out as sai kung country park is less than an hour. for around $30k in the country park (prices have risen dramatically), you'd get 2100' house with 4-5 bedrooms, 4-5 bathrooms, car park and a small garden.

    you could also look at hong lok yuen. i've not been there myself, but heard good things about it. again, i would suggest commute by car rather than public transport.


    public transport in hk is fantastic, but honestly, with 3 kids i would strongly suggest a car, unless you live right in the thick of hk island (and you'd get a shoebox for your budget there). standing in the pouring rain waiting for a minibus/bus/tram or walking to the MTR station is NOT something i would want to be doing with 3 young kids! neither would i want to do it in the 33C + 98% humidity we often experience in the summer!


  4. #14

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    What would the 20k in taxes be for?

    I would be looking at Kindy for my eldest for next year as he is turning 4 this May. I then have a few years before number two starts kindy and then another few years until the last one who is currently 4 months starts kindy. Obviously this salary is base and doesn't include profit share, shares or yearly pay increases.

    The dogs are a must and are inside dogs and one has severe hip displaysia from birth so she won't be allowed to go on long walks etc.

    I was hoping to avoid getting a car but maybe that is something to concider later on.

    To be honest it is not ideal but something we have to do for hubby's work so we need to make the best out of this situtation which may mean living in a shoe box for a while! :-)

    Thanks for the tip about Geobaby.com.hk


  5. #15

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    for the number of kids and their ages, i honestly, wouldn't go without a car. it would be darned near impossible for you to manage going out on your own with the kids at the ages that they are...

    even if you consider wearing the baby in a sling, having the toddler in a stroller/pram and holding the hand of the eldest one... i couldn't imagine having to do that plus having to carry your purse, diaperbag and any shopping WITHOUT a car.

    also, as daycares/creches are non-existant, you will likely want/need to hire a helper (just to manage the logistics of everything, never mind the cooking, cleaning, childcare etc)... so you should factor that into your calculations as well.


  6. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by carang:
    for the number of kids and their ages, i honestly, wouldn't go without a car. it would be darned near impossible for you to manage going out on your own with the kids at the ages that they are...

    even if you consider wearing the baby in a sling, having the toddler in a stroller/pram and holding the hand of the eldest one... i couldn't imagine having to do that plus having to carry your purse, diaperbag and any shopping WITHOUT a car.

    also, as daycares/creches are non-existant, you will likely want/need to hire a helper (just to manage the logistics of everything, never mind the cooking, cleaning, childcare etc)... so you should factor that into your calculations as well.
    Thanks for your advice, I think I just got it stuck in my head that it wasn't worth getting one as you can't have cars in DB etc.. I do have a nifty phil&ted so middle child is in the main seat and baby is at the back so that isn't a problem really. Can you get supermarkets to deliver there? I was definitely looking at getting a helper a big plus point for me! I grew up as an expat in Bahrain where we had helpers growing up.

    Are cars expensive in HK or would it be worth looking in leasing one through the company just so we dont have the trouble of selling it when we move back. I'm presuming it is not worth shipping ours over from Sydney??

  7. #17

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    we got a second hand toyota corolla for $10k. so, they can be had cheaply or you can spend more than what a house would cost in canada... it's up to you.

    if you end up in DB, then a car is not a must, obviously... but with 3 kids you will limit what you do outside of db with them...it would just be too expensive (our family of four cost over $100 each way on the ferry to db) and too difficult.

    you will find that your pram is great in db, but not much use anywhere else in hk. it's just too big! imagine trying to get all three kids into a taxi and folding your pram by yourself (no help from the taxi driver at all!) and see if, when you consider diaper bag, purse, shopping etc you would want to do it on a regular basis....

    i have lived in db and miss it terribly (the sense of community is very strong there)...but i do like having my car (2 kids, 4 & 6) as it is SOOOOOOOO much easier getting around hk with them. we do a lot more together around hk with the car than we ever did without. it opens so many more possibilities than relying on public transport, especially so with kids. i did live in hk for 12 years without a car and never missed having one, until the kids came along....


  8. #18

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    [QUOTE=carang;1433281]we got a second hand toyota corolla for $10k. so, they can be had cheaply or you can spend more than what a house would cost in canada... it's up to you.

    if you end up in DB, then a car is not a must, obviously... but with 3 kids you will limit what you do outside of db with them...it would just be too expensive (our family of four cost over $100 each way on the ferry to db) and too difficult.

    QUOTE]

    Are $ amounts above HKD or AUD?


  9. #19

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    HKD course.... i am in hk afterall!


  10. #20

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    20k is salaries tax (15-16% roughly on the 120k).

    the key question to me is how often you plan to go downtown. i could well imagine that you live in DB or Park Island or so and not much go downtown at all. In that case the whole do-it-yourself scenario from cara does not apply.

    the bigger question to me seems to be the schooling (debentures at 200k anyone?) and the housing (how much you can get for 30-40k?)