SOPS, the rents you are seeing are monthly (and yes, $36,000 monthly won’t get you much unless you’re out in the sticks).
For the avoidance of doubt, these are Hong Kong dollars, so that $36,000 a month is equal to about $4,600 USD per month. Add utilities, food (expensive), transport (quite reasonable), schools (eye-wateringly expensive) and you can see why anyone who is not originally from HKG, is over 30 and is thinking of having a family, is also thinking of getting out.
Year after year, HKG consistently rates as the most expensive (or second most expensive, some years) place to rent/buy on earth. By comparison, central London, New York, Zurich etc are all cheaper.