Hong Kong vs Singapore living
I have a friend trying to decide whether to go to SQ or CX, one of the deciding factor is of course the general living conditions of Hong Kong and Singapore. Having lived in both cities, I have broken down a list of pros and cons for both cities:
Pros that Hong Kong and Singapore share:
1. Reliable and convenient public transportation
2. Relatively low crime rate
3. Wide usage of English
Pros for Singapore over Hong Kong:
1. Superior urban landscaping: more greenery in Singapore.
2. Less pollution (although they can also get pretty bad smog from the Indonesian forest fires)
3. Relatively more friendly and relax people(i.e. less aggressive drivers, relatively slower pace of life)
4. Easy access to beaches in neighbouring SEA for a quick get-away.
Cons for Hong Kong:
1. Ever-worsening pollution (the no.1 issue for most here)
2. Sky-rocketing real estate prices
3. More rude and less considerate people (far more aggressive drivers in Hong Kong with liberal use of cantonese profanties: i.e-Diu lay low mou-Don't ask me what that means-if you live in HK long enough, you should know, hehehe)
4. Higher stress from fast pace of life
Pros for Hong Kong over Singapore:
1. Stronger rule of law and more freedoms
2. Being a larger city then Singapore: more things to do and see
3. More vibrant city: people here maybe more surly, but they are also more quick-thinking and gives the city's a energy that is missing in Singapore.
4. More hiking trails: The city may be a dense concrete jungle in places, but it has more country parks to hike on, funny enough, the transition is more abrupt then Singapore: HK is either a concrete city without a shred of grass but if you move to the hill above that, it's a very "wild" jungle, with all sort of critters running about. Wheras Singapore's greenery is very much "managed" and artificial.
Cons for Singapore:
1. A benign form of dictatorship: The gov has a paternalistic "I know what's best for you" attitude with censorship and more limited freedoms compared to Hong Kong. As a pilot, and expat in general, this won't impact you in your daily life. But, watch out if you want to openly criticize the Singaporean gov. Ironically, HK which is not offcially a democracy, has relatively more freedoms then a nominal democracy like Singapore.
2. Artificial and stale feel: the city can be a bit boring, it can feel like a disneyland. It dosen't have that sense of "realness" you get in Hong Kong.
3. Smaller then Hong Kong: Less things to do and see
4. People there are friendlier but they lack the creative and flexible thinking and subversiveness that I sometimes see in certain Hong Kong people.
Whew, that's what I think for both Singapore and Hong Kong, do you guys have anything else to add in this comparison? Ultimately, it may come down to polluton (and of course the ususal pay and benefit issues etc)