Is 43k a good salary for a single person

[felixabeth]

Hi, I am considering an offer to work in HK.

I am moving from Wellington, New Zealand.

Is HK43k a decent salary for a single person?

Any advice would be helpful, thank you.

[SpeakCantonese]

Hi, I am considering an offer to work in HK.

I am moving from Wellington, New Zealand.

Is HK43k a decent salary for a single person?

Any advice would be helpful, thank you.

It's not indecent.

If I was single I could live pretty comfortably on 43k I think...

It would depend on your lifestyle among other things... 43k won't go far if you want to live in town, eat out at western style restaurants, drink alcohol, shop, etc...

[Wenccyu]

It depends on what you have given up in NZ and what kind of lifestyle you are looking for.
HK tax is relatively low so you will have high portion of net income among the offer.
There is wide range of options for restaurant so you "could" spend not much on food.
Job market is vibrant and opportunity is everywhere.
However, space and western food are both expensive.

[Golem]

You won't have any trouble making ends meet if you are not extravagant. The problem in HK is that there are many expats making loads more and if you try to keep up, it's easy to overspend and the travel opportunities are plentiful in the region. It's an ok salary if you are in your twenties or early thirties. Be prepared to share a flat or live in cramped quarters if you want to spend less than 15K/month on accommodation unless you are further out. Some people could easily save 200K per year on that salary, others not a penny.

[felixabeth]

Hi all, thanks a lot.

I am a single woman in my late-20s. I don't shop a lot and I don't have expensive tastes.

I am nervous about the cost of living. In New Zealand, I pay the equivalent of HK$7,200 a month on rent for a 30sqm studio apartment in the city, but I have been told this amount won't even get me that size in Hong Kong.

Is it relatively easy to go flat-sharing in HK? Where are the best places to look for flatmates?

My company is located in Causeway Bay. Due to the nature of my work (I will be working some shifts that will end as late as midnight), I doubt I would be able to live too far away as I don't know if trains or buses are still running at those times.

[Golem]

There are flat shares available...check different expat sites and you will see what is on offer, you might find something for a similar price that you paid in Wellington but it will be small. Keep in mind that it's not unreasonable to devote 1/3 of your salary towards accommodation and you can find a small or older place for that size. Finding a decent place to stay with a good landlord is always a difficult task in HK.

MTR still running at midnight and there are some buses and plenty of taxis which are cheap. HK is probably busier at 23:00 than it is at 7am...

[ByeByeEngland]

HK is incredibly safe even at 3am in the morning. MTR runs to about 1245 from Causeway Bay. Honestly don’t worry about the late nights and hopefully there will be some women on here posting to endorse my view because you’re probably going to need to live 10-15 mins away for a flat share that will let you have a life as well

[Rachel_]

When I moved here I lived on $26k as a single person and I lived by myself - I paid about $8k a month for a very little studio. It is possible to eat cheaply and public transport is very cheap and plentiful. If you don't waste your money you should be able to save a lot!

[Acho0087]

Hi, my other half is from welly too! Not too many kiwis in Hk. Your biggest expense will be rent - so depends where your office is and whether you wish to commute?

If you want to live on the island side to get to work easier, in soho the studio/1 beds 30sqm will be 16-24k per month ranging from liveable to nice. Of course you can get cheaper on the Kowloon or NT side but your experience of Hk as an expat will be materially different. Some people think it’s novel to experience the “real Hk” but if it’s your first time living here I wouldn’t if I were in your shoes. I never get to see my friends who don’t live on the island.

You will need to budget pretty carefully as a meal & drinks out with friends will cost at least $500-800 a night. So literally you will have no savings if you are actively social, which you are likely to be in the first 12 months.

Good luck and maybe try negotiating your salary more - find out the benchmark as salaries here are much higher than nz

[Golem]

The post above is quite typical of people with different point of views. I know many people including myself who live on the island in a very convenient location with double that space for less than is quoted above. I had a very nice indian set meal on the weekend for just under $100 and my friend packed half of it home. I can go out for a champagne brunch on Sunday for under $400.

It's not hard to spend money but it's also quite easy to live reasonably without making too many sacrifices. Being actively social means different things to different people. A hike with friends and a nice meal on the beach can be quite cheap for example. A night out drinking expensive drinks or wine can be very expensive(just like everywhere)