Dear KA Drivers
Could somebody please give me a rough idea of school fees in HK (Lantau) and rents in Disco Bay or Tung Chung. I see Dragonair offer 20k per month housing.
Rents in TC are better value than other areas in Hong Kong. I was paying just under $19,000pm for a small 3 bedroom flat in Caribbean coast. I've since left for greener pastures.
TC is great for convenience and cost, you can have a dog if you are in Caribbean coast but not in the other buildings. It is however very dull, and full of the kind of people who will look you in the eye as they press the close door button as you walk towards the elevator.
There is nowhere to go for entertainment in the area except a good curry joint in a nearby village. (Handi Indian and Sugar and Spice Thai).
There is no international school there, just a kindy.
When we moved in, there was one suicide every month for 5 months straight! 4 jumpers and 1 by cop, after that things quietend down.
La Rossa and Coastal Skyline seem to be a bit more civilised and quieter than Caribbean coast.
You have multiple supermarkets to choose from in the area, but like anywhere in Hong Kong, you will have to visit 5 shops to make one meal unless it is a Chinese one.
Getting to work is about $60 in a taxi if you can get one or about $30 on the bus and 35 mins.
The views in summer are pretty nice because you can see more than 2000m but in the afternoons it's still smoggy enough you can look directly at the sun without hurting your eyes (from the sun, not the air). In winter if you can see the ground from the 50th floor it's an ok day in the smog, on good days you can see some of the airport (3000m vis without a cloud in the sky); this is mostly because of the pearl river effect (terrain trapping the smog).
We moved to the south side of Lantau and the air quality is a bit better.
On the special allowance, it is just that, an allowance that they can change or leave at will according to market forces, it is not indexed to anything and it is fully taxable. It hasn't changed since it was implemented over two years ago but rents have risen by 25% for a lot of guys I know in TC. I would expect asking prices to be around 22k pm now.
TSIO.