Not a wannabe. Like I said, not for me and only reporting what I've heard.
Just highlighting that what I wrote was not incorrect as such, not to my knowledge at least.
Terms and conditions are basically going down everywhere, except in China and to some extent also in the US. Pretty much every company in Europe and Middle East are recruiting but general terms and conditions are getting worse by the day. Cheaper to live in Europe than in HK of course but there are now several companies "offering" €5-6K per month for Airbus and Boeing Captains. That's for a contracts where you will be based in temporary bases that open and close as the company picks up or loses business. In other words, you can't really move your family as you might be given a new base with little to no notice. Pay is before European tax by the way. No pension. No private health insurance. No loss of license.
Not arguing with what you are saying as I don't really know the daily costs of living in HK. Having said that, $40 USD is not going to get you a "decent meal" in Paris, London, anywhere in Switzerland, anywhere in Scandinavia, New York, Dubai etc etc. Also, I guess HK has always been more expensive than many other places in the world so it can't really be a surprise to people who decided to move there.
bjb