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Relocating from NYC to HK

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  1. #21
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    To be honest it's the worst time to be considering a move to Hong Kong, I know people who are 50/50 and now are moving back home, as well as others who have recently moved here and thinking what kind of place have they moved to with recent events.
    I don't think salary is the issue, its the instability and that for normal people in Hong Kong the protests have really affected aspects of our lives.

    Do you want to check the news every time you go out and plan your day to avoid going out in the evenings? Or find out every Starbucks within a 5 mile radius is smashed up, or every supermarket is closed at 3pm on the weekend?
    dossier and MandM! like this.

  2. #22

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    Quote Originally Posted by SonicYouth1:
    To be honest it's the worst time to be considering a move to Hong Kong, I know people who are 50/50 and now are moving back home, as well as others who have recently moved here and thinking what kind of place have they moved to with recent events.
    I don't think salary is the issue, its the instability and that for normal people in Hong Kong the protests have really affected aspects of our lives.

    Do you want to check the news every time you go out and plan your day to avoid going out in the evenings? Or find out every Starbucks within a 5 mile radius is smashed up, or every supermarket is closed at 3pm on the weekend?
    1) HK is still incredibly safe. Not hard to avoid flashpoints.

    2) Who needs Starbucks anyway?

    3) Only some supermarkets closed. And to be honest unless you are penny pinching plenty of other food options to cover short term needs

    I’ve got no intention of uprooting.

  3. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by UK/HKboy:
    That salary would be more than enough to live very comfortably in Hong Kong. But don't Americans have to pay tax in the USA as well even when working overseas?

    As some others have mentioned, if you want to maintain your NY lifestyle in HK then obviously it gets very expensive to have the space, food, activities etc. (it is foreign to HK). But if you adopt the local Asian lifestyle, then its a lot more affordable.

    e.g. I can eat something from a local restaurant and don't need to have british food from Marks & Spencers.
    I have a friend on a similar package spending about 45k on rental but after paying for a helper, US taxes, and living truly as an expat (only western food), there's nothing left at the end of the year. I kind of feel bad as my friend is aging and has no nest egg.

  4. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by ByeByeEngland:
    1) HK is still incredibly safe. Not hard to avoid flashpoints.

    2) Who needs Starbucks anyway?

    3) Only some supermarkets closed. And to be honest unless you are penny pinching plenty of other food options to cover short term needs

    I’ve got no intention of uprooting.
    It all depends on your situation, age, etc. But don't you like to go out with friends on the weekend? I would typically go to a nice dinner followed by a visit to a whiskey bar on the weekend. I couldn't do that anymore. It's really being trapped at home.

  5. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by MandM!:
    I have a friend on a similar package spending about 45k on rental but after paying for a helper, US taxes, and living truly as an expat (only western food), there's nothing left at the end of the year. I kind of feel bad as my friend is aging and has no nest egg.
    There are so many exemptions for American expats, your friend doesn't know how to financially plan, that's all. There's no income tax due on salary below USD 100K and then there's another USD 100K allowance for housing. Helper only costs HKD5,000 a month as well. His rent is just too high.

  6. #26

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    Tax is a lot lower here. Compared to NY it can be over 50% lower (federal, state, city, medicare, social security, sales). If the political situation here isn't a problem then its not a bad move. Can be a good excuse to go back to NY as well if you don't like it here. Also heard from my single Chinese American friends before that the dating life here can be pretty good...


  7. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by MandM!:
    It all depends on your situation, age, etc. But don't you like to go out with friends on the weekend? I would typically go to a nice dinner followed by a visit to a whiskey bar on the weekend. I couldn't do that anymore. It's really being trapped at home.
    Depends on where you live. Apart from ridiculous supermarket and 711 closures plus an ATM queue I guarantee Sai Kung was another world all weekend.

    I accept the blessing of where I live would not have been able to be enjoyed by as many people as usual and I’m in no doubt that last weekend was thoroughly spoiled and miserable for many people just wanting to go about leisure activities. Kowloon Park ridiculous closure is just one sign of that.

  8. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by ByeByeEngland:
    Depends on where you live. Apart from ridiculous supermarket and 711 closures plus an ATM queue I guarantee Sai Kung was another world all weekend.

    I accept the blessing of where I live would not have been able to be enjoyed by as many people as usual and I’m in no doubt that last weekend was thoroughly spoiled and miserable for many people just wanting to go about leisure activities. Kowloon Park ridiculous closure is just one sign of that.
    Where do you live? Some areas are very secluded from the rest of HK and that is great. I know my home can still go out and nothing going on, yet isn't exactly a paradise of things to do right there. Need to go to a nearby town that could have been affected.

  9. #29

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    Quote Originally Posted by MandM!:
    I have a friend on a similar package spending about 45k on rental but after paying for a helper, US taxes, and living truly as an expat (only western food), there's nothing left at the end of the year. I kind of feel bad as my friend is aging and has no nest egg.
    Not sure what you mean by Western food but if you are talking about eating at McD's or even Shake Shack, there is no noticeable price difference. But when you get to non fast food there is no low end, no Denny's (which is nasty anyway), no Olive Garden, no Soup Plantation etc. so then you get reamed eating at higher end restaurants. The portions are not American sized and more suitable for small childen even though you are an adult and the cost is not worth it for what you get in terms of taste alone.

    In general if you come from a Western environment whether you are a gweilo or Chinese or some other Asian the food options are horrible. Sure there is lots of local Chinese places you can go to if you are ethnically Chinese and like the food. They are inexpensive but the qulaity of the food does not consider health. In HK mainstream people do not consider brown rice edible food not is cholestral and too much salt and suger even a consideration.

    You can cook at home but you will find the grocery stores do not sell meat and veggies on the same price to quality scales you will find in the US. Overpaying for foods that are practically free in the States is insane. And meats are labeled mostly Brazil, China and Austraia with different prices. A lot of locals I know shun anything edible from the Mainland which makes you as an expat even more suspicious. Yet at local restaurants you know they are gonna use the Mainland meat.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by RMDNC:
    Not sure what you mean by Western food but if you are talking about eating at McD's or even Shake Shack, there is no noticeable price difference. But when you get to non fast food there is no low end, no Denny's (which is nasty anyway), no Olive Garden, no Soup Plantation etc. so then you get reamed eating at higher end restaurants. The portions are not American sized and more suitable for small childen even though you are an adult and the cost is not worth it for what you get in terms of taste alone.

    In general if you come from a Western environment whether you are a gweilo or Chinese or some other Asian the food options are horrible. Sure there is lots of local Chinese places you can go to if you are ethnically Chinese and like the food. They are inexpensive but the qulaity of the food does not consider health. In HK mainstream people do not consider brown rice edible food not is cholestral and too much salt and suger even a consideration.

    You can cook at home but you will find the grocery stores do not sell meat and veggies on the same price to quality scales you will find in the US. Overpaying for foods that are practically free in the States is insane. And meats are labeled mostly Brazil, China and Austraia with different prices. A lot of locals I know shun anything edible from the Mainland which makes you as an expat even more suspicious. Yet at local restaurants you know they are gonna use the Mainland meat.
    Not MCD, I'm referring to proper western restaurants where it is much more expensive to eat per person (and due to small portions some people order several plates) compared to a local cha chan teng. Anyway, some people come here and don't want to eat Chinese food, and that's fine. Personally I like Chinese food. So each person will have their own feelings when they arrive.

    I had some friends visit me from the states and we went to local restaurant and one of the dishes we had was chicken wings, and they complained that it had bones. I was like wtf. I don't have patience to go back to the basics and hand holding for that sometimes haha.