HK vs. NYC or San Fran?

[edog]

Ok, honest, I looked at a whole bunch of past threads here but couldn't find the info I needed.

Can someone summarize how HK compares in terms of living costs to NYC or San Francisco?

I currently live in a 28th floor luxury condo in SF for $5k/month (US) rent for about 1500 sf and 2br with nice highrise views, granite and hardwood. A similar rental in NYC would have been $7 - 9k/yr in NYC a year ago - probably less now given the current financial crisis.

My goal in moving to SF was to have NYC lifestyle without the NYC weather. Candidly, SF sucks compared to NYC. What I care about is being able to WALK (not drive) or take public transit to a wide variety of restaurants, and live where the weather doesn't suck. SF is a little better than NYC in the weather department, but sucks royally in the sense that everything closes early. I'm a city boy, and like late-night dining with excellent food.

I eat out 14x per week (lunch and dinner every day; I don't own cookware or utensils), and I like good food. I'm a dim sum addict.

My typical spend rate in San Francisco is around US$25- 30 per day on lunch (no alcohol) and about $85 - $100 on dinner with 2 or 3 glasses of wine. That gets me top restaurants where I live. From all the posts here, I still can't tell whether HK costs more or less than I'm used to. I would generally prefer the better restaurants, and usually eat at the bar when dining alone.

What I'm really looking for is the RELATIVE cost of HK vs. Manhattan or San Francisco for a luxury highrise lifestyle and eating out every night. From all the posts here, I still can't tell if HK costs more or less than Manhattan.

Although I can easily afford a private car, I want nothing to do with that. I'm a pretty adamant believer in public transit, and prefer to take the subway in NYC even though I can afford private transport. Even in San Fran I don't have a car, despite the deplorable public transit system. I would want to live someplace where public transit is "everywhere". Probably in the central part of the city, where the best selection of restaurants exist.

Thanks in advance for any guidance...

ed

[edog]

Forgot to mention...

I'm planning a reconnaissance mission to HK to check the place out; I've never been there... Advice sought on where to stay, what places to look at, and what neighborhoods to consider for living in. Restaurant recommendations also always welcome! :-)

ed

[campas12]

Ok, honest, I looked at a whole bunch of past threads here but couldn't find the info I needed.

Can someone summarize how HK compares in terms of living costs to NYC or San Francisco?

I currently live in a 28th floor luxury condo in SF for $5k/month (US) rent for about 1500 sf and 2br with nice highrise views, granite and hardwood. A similar rental in NYC would have been $7 - 9k/yr in NYC a year ago - probably less now given the current financial crisis.

My goal in moving to SF was to have NYC lifestyle without the NYC weather. Candidly, SF sucks compared to NYC. What I care about is being able to WALK (not drive) or take public transit to a wide variety of restaurants, and live where the weather doesn't suck. SF is a little better than NYC in the weather department, but sucks royally in the sense that everything closes early. I'm a city boy, and like late-night dining with excellent food.

I eat out 14x per week (lunch and dinner every day; I don't own cookware or utensils), and I like good food. I'm a dim sum addict.

My typical spend rate in San Francisco is around US$25- 30 per day on lunch (no alcohol) and about $85 - $100 on dinner with 2 or 3 glasses of wine. That gets me top restaurants where I live. From all the posts here, I still can't tell whether HK costs more or less than I'm used to. I would generally prefer the better restaurants, and usually eat at the bar when dining alone.

What I'm really looking for is the RELATIVE cost of HK vs. Manhattan or San Francisco for a luxury highrise lifestyle and eating out every night. From all the posts here, I still can't tell if HK costs more or less than Manhattan.

Although I can easily afford a private car, I want nothing to do with that. I'm a pretty adamant believer in public transit, and prefer to take the subway in NYC even though I can afford private transport. Even in San Fran I don't have a car, despite the deplorable public transit system. I would want to live someplace where public transit is "everywhere". Probably in the central part of the city, where the best selection of restaurants exist.

Thanks in advance for any guidance...

ed

manhattanite for the past 10 years, central'ite for the past 6 months.

i'd say it's about the same (very roughly speaking).... i'd elaborate more but i'm busy right now=)

[jimbo]

Hmmm you really can't be looking hard enough then as theres plenty of topics about the cost of living etc in HK.

You're kidding me right about not owning any cookware? I assume you don't know how to cook then?

Well you are certainly going to need to adjust your budget for dinner then, Especially with your wine habit of 2/3 glasses with Dinner as a decent glass of wine is going to cost you at least $10 u.s on its own and thats being conservative, decent dinner for one without wine is going to be $60 u.s if you're used to top end.

[lulumay]

help me out here. money doesnt seem to an issue to you. why do you want to know about the "relative cost"?

where did you eat everyday for $25-30/lunch in San Francisco? did you eat by yourself everyday?

[PDLM]

Those restaurant prices give you very comfortable access to the "upper-middle" range of restaurants, but not to the very top-end (Michelin-starred) places. Rental prices are probably nearer Manhattan's than SF's for space, but you might struggle to find specific western styles of design and decoration if you are very picky about that sort of thing.

[edog]

Thanks to all who replied.

Yes, I did find the numerous threads about HK living expenses, but I find that "I got a nice 2br for $xxx" isn't useful information. A "nice 2br" in Manhattan (for example) costs anywhere from $3k/mo to $30k/mo, depending on your definition of "nice". I find that "It costs about the same as Manhattan" is much more useful advice.

So it sounds like I should assume Manhattan prices for everything (i.e. considerably higher than San Francisco), but not much more than Manhattan prices.

What I miss most about Manhattan is the public transit and "walkability" of the city. I hate driving and don't want a car.

What I'm really hoping for is that HK is just as pedestrian-friendly and "open at all hours" as Manhattan, but without the godawful winter weather. I left Manhattan for San Francisco because of the weather, but am not adjusting well at all to the fact that this so-called "city" closes down at about 9pm. Sounds like HK does offer the lifestyle benefits of Manhattan without the cold weather, and the cost of living is about the same. Is that a fair summary?

Thanks,

ed

p.s. No, I wasn't kidding, I really don't own cookware. I have wine glasses, a cork screw, and a Zagat guide. I do know how to cook but find that pro chefs are a whole lot better at it than I am.

[aussiegal]

I'd say HK is more expensive than NY when it comes to dining and more hit and miss.

As for weather, well it doesn't get as cold but it gets stinking hot and given your desire of being able to walk everywhere you'll want to live centrally which lifts the temperatures even more and means there is no air in Summer. There's also the pollution to factor in. Neither NY or San Fran can hold a candle to HK's pollution.

You just have to do a google search to see whether renting in HK or NY is more expensive. Here's a good snapshot taken at the beginning of the year. I'd say it still holds true as even though NY prices have come down so have HK prices.

[fm7]

HK is small and the public transport is great, but it's not that easy to walk around. There's lots of decent places to eat and a fair amount of stuff going on, but it doesn't really have a 24/7 cafe/arts scene.

[jimbo]

p.s. No, I wasn't kidding, I really don't own cookware. I have wine glasses, a cork screw, and a Zagat guide. I do know how to cook but find that pro chefs are a whole lot better at it than I am.

Clearly but eating at mid to top end restaurants every day though?
Thats sheer craziness to be honest. Local restaurants are better at cooking than I am and they charge $40 hk for a decent meal.