Cost of living per month

Closed Thread
  1. #1

    Question Cost of living per month

    Hi.
    I'm planning to work in Hong Kong soon, but not sure how to survive.
    Here, I'd like some advice on how much the salary tax is calculated for expats, if for example the salary is HKD15,000?
    I heard that this costs the most, in addition to the house rent.
    And for the salary, is there any fixed monthly deduction?
    I already know the budget for a small house rent should cost aroung HKD5,000~HKD7,000.
    How about public transport? Any monthly pass or something which would cost cheaper?
    Hope someone can give some advice.
    Thanks.


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    14,414

    $15000 you can survive but you won't be eating out all the time.

    Your budget of $5-7k is ok but that will be for a shared room. You won't get your own place unless it's out in the sticks.

    Travel is cheap, MTR Trams, Buses all fine.

    To compare where will you be moving from? And what type of lifestyle do you currently lead?


  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    2,112

    The salary tax payable on a $15K income won't be much.

    GovHK: Tax Rates of Salaries Tax & Personal Assessment

    And you can use the government's tax calculator here:

    GovHK: Tax Computation of Salaries Tax and Personal Assessment


  4. #4

    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    2,112

    There is also another factor to consider. Unless you are PR, have a dependency visa or have RTL / ROA, the chances are low of getting a work visa for only 15K / month.


  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by jimbo:
    $15000 you can survive but you won't be eating out all the time.

    Your budget of $5-7k is ok but that will be for a shared room. You won't get your own place unless it's out in the sticks.

    Travel is cheap, MTR Trams, Buses all fine.

    To compare where will you be moving from? And what type of lifestyle do you currently lead?
    Thanks for advice.
    I'm not a shopaholic, so for starters, I suppose that's good enough.

    I think my lifestyle would pretty much be very simple: work on weekdays and rest at home at night, maybe go out for walks on weekend to explore the city, even if I go out for dining maybe nothing too fancy.

    I found a few 1 room condo which are around HKD5,000~HKD7,000 which I think should be okay. I assume this is not a sharing unit.

    I'm from Malaysia. And currently, I usually go to work n back home on weekdays. Then on weekends maybe some random outings to the mall or cafe or cinema or restaurant once in a while.
    Last edited by blackcatmiao; 21-03-2015 at 08:44 PM.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by jmbf:
    The salary tax payable on a $15K income won't be much.

    GovHK: Tax Rates of Salaries Tax & Personal Assessment

    And you can use the government's tax calculator here:

    GovHK: Tax Computation of Salaries Tax and Personal Assessment
    Thanks for the info. I checked it out and as you said, the tax won't be so much.

    I understand that this is only required once a year. But as for monthly salary, is there any fixed monthly deduction? For example monthly fee to EPF (employee provident fund) or SOCSO (social security organization), etc. I'm not sure if there is, what it would be called in Hong Kong...

    If it's just the salary without any deduction, then salary tax payment just once a year, budget can be calculated easily. But I suppose it's not only that?

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    2,112
    Quote Originally Posted by blackcatmiao:

    I found a few 1 room condo which are around HKD5,000~HKD7,000 which I think should be okay. I assume this is not a sharing unit.
    It depends a lot on the area. If it's in a fairly central location in town then for that price range I doubt it's an individual unit / apartment with its own kitchen, bathroom etc. Further out in the N.T or outlying islands then maybe.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Tuen Mun
    Posts
    2,074

    "1 room condo" at that price, if in a reasonably central area, is highly likely to be either one of the many Craigslist (or similar) scam ads for HK, or it's a <100 sq. feet in an illegally subdivided flat.

    If you're way out of town (like in Tuen Mun or Fanling districts), you could still get a decent although basic place 300 - 400 ft sq, no fancy facilities) for that price, but you would need to balance the low rent against commute time and cost.