[shilo507]

I am soon to move to HK with my wife and two girls. I will be working in Chai Wan.

I am on a good salary but have a modest rental sum of HKD 7500 paid by my employer.

Now, another expat in my office (who also has a spouse and two children the same age) claims she is renting a 3 bed appt in Chai Wan for approx USD 7500 per month and says this should be fine as long as I don't expect to live in Central or Repulse Bay etc or more common ex-pat areas.

Chai wan seems pleasant enough to me so my question is 'is HKD 7500 resonable for a rental sum paid by the employer?'. Obviously, if we wanted something more expensive i could top it up from my salary but it would be nice to know if from a financial point the employer's offer is reasonable.

Just one more question, which is the nearest ESF school to Chai Wan? I believe you have to live in the 'catchment area' to be eligible for these schools.

[shilo507]

sorry - I made a typing error. My colleague says she is renting a 3 bed appt in Chai Wan for USD 1000 per month (not USD 7500 per month!)

[Mat]

To be honest 7500 for a couple + 2 kids seems a bit low to me. For sure many locals live with this or even less but if your salary is "good" why not increase that amount to, let say 12.000 which seems to me a decent amount for a couple with kids. 7500 is closer to what a young/single just started in life would pay.

[shilo507]

i agree with you Mat. I just wanted to make sure my expectations were realistic. Thanks.

I was in Chai Wan a month or so ago and the air just seems a little bit fresher there than elsewhere in HK so i have no problem moving the family there.

Living in London I have a 90 minute to work and back each way so commuting does not really bother me but if i can live and work in the same area that would be splendid!

[fly]

Well, YMMV, but 7K was the amount of rental reimbursement my earlier allowed for mid-mgmt types. It wasn't supposed to cover 100% of your salary, and allowed you to pay less income tax the way it was treated by (my) employer.

If you are thinking of Chai Wan already, there's plenty of low-cost housing there, the best option for expats would probably be the Island Resort complex which is relatively new; rents should be reasonable given that Chai Wan isn't knows as a high-demand area.

[fly]

Well, YMMV, but 7K was the amount of rental reimbursement my earlier allowed for mid-mgmt types. It wasn't supposed to cover 100% of your salary, and allowed you to pay less income tax the way it was treated by (my) employer.

If you are thinking of Chai Wan already, there's plenty of low-cost housing there, the best option for expats would probably be the Island Resort complex which is relatively new; rents should be reasonable given that Chai Wan isn't knows as a high-demand area.

[hullexile]

I live in Heng Fa Chuen which is one stop on the MTR from Chai Wan. Nice area, all amenities (except a bar, sigh), but rents are higher than the figure you give. I pay 16K (well I don't, work does) but it is a largish flat (850sqft) with a balcony and all windows overlooking the harbour. There are cheaper ones in the same estate.

[shilo507]

Thanks for the info.

The ex-pat in my office (who is a Filipina by the way) absolutely swears that she pays only the equivalent of USD 1000 for a three-bed apartment (paid by the employer). The employer (US citizen) also confirms this.

I'll find out when i arrive in early July but I'll top the amount up if it is not enough.

BTW, do you know which ESF school is nearest to Chai Wan? Theyt all seem to be quite far away.

[freeier]

all depends on the state of the place and the timing of rental.
HK rental market went up like maybe 30% in the past 24 months.

[rani]

ESF school in yr zone is Quarry Bay