Living in Hong Kong
 

Hi all;I'm going to Hong Kong this month for a job interview. Can anybody who is presently living there inform me about how life is for a European single guy? Is housing that expensive? What about gyms, restaurants and daily shopping? What would be a good area to live easy to reach the airport by public transport? Good life style? Many thanks!!

Housing is not expensive - it is OVER THE TOP EXTORTIONATE!

You give no indication of who your job interview is with, but don't do it if you don't have a decent expat housing allowance.

Go online to some HK real estate agents. The quoted square footage is always gross, not net, so you don't actually get that area. (the footprint of common areas & lift wells is divided up between the apartments on the floor, and added to come to a gross floor area). Then once you've worked out what size you like, have a look at the price.

Utilities (ie power etc) are not cheap.

If you want to eat true local food everyday (except for inflight meals), restaurants can be very cheap. If you want to get western food on a regular basis, then ker-ching!

Convenient housing to airport = Tung Chung, but you're 40 mins by train to city, and the train stops about half past midnight. Taxis that late will cost in excess of HK$300 from the city to Tung Chung.

In international surveys of cost of living for expats in major cities around the world, HK is ALWAYS in the top 5, and 96% of the time in the top 3. This town is more expensive than New York & London according to these surveys. The only places that normally top HK are Tokyo, Osaka, and ,lately, Moscow (each business magazine publishes slightly different results, but it's always the same places in the top 10, and HK is always top 5)

Lifestyle can be great, but you need a decent income to sustain it. A big part of that is a housing allowance. Unlike many places "back home", you can't look at things as a whole here - you need to ensure an appropriate income without housing, and you then need to add a suitable housing allowance on the top. Whether they package it for tax purposes as a separate allowance, or a total package is semantics, the important thing is to make sure that each pay packet you get both.

Come & look by all means, but do it with your eyes open, and investigate the true facts.

Vietnam offer better contract and future for a F/O. In HK, for every simple thing as gym, telephone, sport clubs.... you have to sign two years. If you decide to finish the contract in advance, you have to pay for the whole period, otherwise you will get serious problems.

Thanks Harlem....That two years thing sounds really bad.... I considered Vietnam, but I was there visiting around and I think I would enjoy better living in HK, I still have to check the palece. Are you working or living in Vietnam or HK?

I am in Mainland, but time ago I considered one of those options and I was asking friends there.

Ive heard some pilots buy a boat and live on it in one of the marinas. A nice 60 footer will be bigger than many HK apartments!

For gym, internet, etc you can often take over someone else's contract partway through. there are expat websites with them for "sale". I took over a gym membership that had 12 months left to run. HK is a lot of fun but you definitely need the money to be able to make the most of it. If you want to get an idea of the place (and the prices), go to some bars along the escalator or Wyndham Street in Mid Levels which are popular with expats.

Chris, you're right, but boats come with a host of downsides too. EG in DB the fees run at about 15k/month, annual maintenance means moving out for 1-2 weeks, harder to borrow money for, little or no appreciation, etc

Boats in HKG?
I looked.
No berths anywhere.
Fugedaboudit.

living in hong kong...one word...

sucks.


been here 2 years, 9 years with cx...only thing good is the money and with the cost of living the money i am getting not worth it...before you say it, yes i am leaving, fedex awaits..

Good on ya Elgringo :ok: the more the merrier

did you get ......
 

did you get out of the time what you were after? Ergo, is it worth the 'short' term pain for the greater good. provided the world doesn't implode up it's financial banker's arse hole over the next few weeks, will the aviation world 'explode' into a shower of jobs, as predicted, often

Been here 3 years. Love it. Like everywhere else, it's what you make of it.

Thanks ETOPS, some words of wisdom!!

b.

What wisdom ? To each their own I say but you can't argue the pollution, the amount of people per square foot and the cost of living, it's not subjective, it's all fact.
If poisoning yourself and your family whilst living in close proximity to 7,000,000 other people is your thang, then go for it :ok: but I can't see the wisdom in it :rolleyes:

The point being, no matter where you live, if you hate the place, well guess what.... you ain't gonna have a good time. If you try to make the most of it, then life could be good. Entirely up to the individual

I'm going out on a limb here HKF... but I guess you :
1. hate Hong Kong or
2. have departed Hong Kong
3. all of the above

b.

They do not call it fragrant harbour for no reason.

Bob Hope landed and as he got out of the aircraft he said What is that awful smell?

That is Chinese Sh*t Bob. Yes I know but what have they done to it!!:D

Conversely, I have seen guys leave Hong Kong, chasing the Australian dream and setting up home in airport suburbs like Sunbury and living the life of the working poor with low cost carriers.

Then, a few years later, they are still unhappy.

what to do what to do
 

The etternal struggle of heart and mind of the career pilot eh! The opportunity to get ..... hrs on xxxx jet then perhaps.........or stay for the 'lifestyle'. For me it's just the unknown. From sunny skies, fresh air to ....... New people, culture and travel on the other hand