Thanks everyone for your thoughts.. it is all very subjective and you guessed right I am quite unsure about this move...not just the cost of living, but will the girls be happy. I should mention they LOVED Bangkok.. they LOVED living in a compound, with hundreds of other kids to play with every day after school, no need to organise play dates, they had them inbuilt in our apartment complex every day.. As we had 2 pools, playground and great outdoor area for them to ride bikes, roller blades, play on grass etc... Are the compounds in HK similar to this? I will be working as well as my hubby, so we will be relying on our maid/nanny to take them out to play after school. Do other kids come home from school and hang out in the complex pool/play area with their nannies? our girls had a lot of 'freedom' for their ages as our compound in BKK was quite secure, and they loved it.
So, i guess im comfortable that we will be ok on the $$ but the more important aspect is happiness. will the kids be happy ? and I think yes if the apartment complex's are similar to BKK? and what about us older folk? lots of social expat activity in same complex? or based around your work?
what about travel? easy/cheap to hop into china, macau etc for weekends away.. I see a benefit of living in HK being its proximity to other fascinating countries for cultural and fun experiences for the whole family? Do other families manage this?
With regards to living where.. Hubby will be working near airport i think...(working for airline) and I will be in central, so somewhere noone has to spend too much time in transit, but especially the girls. Hubby has free travel to work, so more concerned with low cost for girls and my travel...
more questions I know.. but I really appreciate your responses...
thanks
Debra
Well, you can't really compare bkok and hk. Living in a compound in a developing country with a clear hiso loso split has nothing to do with living in a place like hk. Apples and oranges. Hk is far from the political economic and social disaster of thailand. It's safe and no hopped up tuk tuk drivers and prostitution on every corner for one thing. I recommend spending a week in hk to get a feel for the place before making any decisions.
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Hi Debra,
I am in the same position that you are in with 3 children, maybe moving from Brisbane and trying to get in the AISHK and live in Kowloon Tong. We have children who will want to be doing what yours do after school like hang out with friends, ride bikes, swim etc. Did you end up moving and did you chose Kowloon Tong to live in because that's what we think we will do with the kids at school there and husband commuting to the aiport. Are you children happy? Thanks very much - Belle