[GM1]

Hi,

I am scheduled to take up a position in Luo Wu, Shenzhen after CNY 2007 for 2-3 years.

I will move with my wife and 2 and a half yr old son and am leaning towards living somewhere between Sha tin to Tai po in HK to be able to have use of good nurseries and healthcare and safety for family etc (as opposed to living in SZ).

I have been asked to make a budget of my living costs so I can properly negotiate a relevant package. I understand this is not a good way to proceed in terms of negotiation, however I am working for a SME who has never relocated someone before and I know roughly my all in package will be somewhere in the region on 50K HKD/month.

Pls can you guys help me to accurately budget for the following living costs per month:

Comfortable 2-3 bedroom Apartment in mentioned areas (around 1,000 sq ft +) =
Full or p/t nursery placement for 3yr old =
Live in Maid =
Healthcare cover for family =
Gas and electricity =
Telephone, internet and satellite TV =

Anything else I need to consider such as local taxes and insurance etc?

+ Do you think the 50K HKD/month is reasonable for the mentioned position?

Thanks so much in advance for any input.

Regards,
GM1

[KennedyCrew]

Comfortable 2-3 bedroom Apartment in mentioned areas (around 1,000 sq ft +) = Starts around 15K, so average say 20K
Live in Maid = Is pretty standard over here, around 3K a month
Gas and electricity = Upto 1K a month if you hammer the aircon
Telephone, internet and satellite TV = Go for NOW TV, they are the best, good package for around 450 HKD a month

Other stuff I dont know, so if you go for 50K, should easily cover and give you extra money to spend.

To get an idea of places, costs, www.hongkonghomes.com and www.gohome.com.hk

And SZ isnt that bad!

Good luck

[freeier]

taxes are not high (16% max) but you might want to research more on the nursery. any international school requirement, etc.etc.
that part can be costly

[Pekkerhead]

Originally Posted by KennedyCrew

Comfortable 2-3 bedroom Apartment in mentioned areas (around 1,000 sq ft +) = Starts around 15K, so average say 20K

In Tai Po you will get a really nice place in a managed complex (with pool, gym, creche etc) for between 12k to 15k per month. Any more than that and you are paying too much.

If you need an English speaking agent to help you let me know and I will drop you a PM with his details.

[GM1]

Thanks to those who replied so far on this, it is much appreciated.

Can anyone offer any guideline costs for nurseries and a good family heatlh cover (I heard this is expensive?) or if not where I could find info on this?

And is there any other cost I should consider - or have I covered it all?

Thanks again.

[Sleuth]

Why do you want a nursery and a maid?
If you are a US citizen you have US taxes on top of your HK taxes and if you are working in SZ/China on a daily basis you are going to have Chinese taxes too and they are a lot higher than HK.
Don't forget transportation costs. Public transportation is cheap, but it adds up, and train tickets to Lo Wu are the most expensive of all.
Also, there is food to account for and the deposit on your apartment is going to run 3 or 4 times the first month's rent.

[mochie99]

Maid should be HK$3400 salary plus the $400 levy payment to the government. Remember also the comprehensive domestic helper insurance that is approximately 550/yr. So, I'd say it's around HK$4000/month.

[Sleuth]

Originally Posted by mochie99

Maid should be HK$3400 salary plus the $400 levy payment to the government. Remember also the comprehensive domestic helper insurance that is approximately 550/yr. So, I'd say it's around HK$4000/month.

What about the flight home?

[mochie99]

The one way ticket for the maid to go back to her own country after the 2 years contract will be around HK$1000 for maids from the Philippines, so that would be less than HK$50/ month. Double that amount for maid's from Indonesia.

[en_sursis]

hiya,

i agree with pekkerhead on the prices of flats in tai po. for that price, you could try an apartment in hong lok yuen with a large expat community or something a little cheaper like grand palisades, grand dynasty view etc... i notice a lot of the expat families send their kids to a kindergarten called 'anchor kindergarten and international nursery' in tai wo. it is deemed to be respectable amongst the locals and has a fair share of expat kids as well. i do believe that this particular kindergarten is considered the most desirable within the area and fees are around 3k a month. just guessing but that is pretty much the average for such kindergartens.