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I've always been told booze (lets keep it to simple beer here) in HK is pretty expensive.

Went out for a cheeky beer at lunch today (in the British Isles) and had a bottle of beer, which came to ?2.80 (HK$43) and this wasn't some fancy wine bar but a run of the mill pub.

I've been told beer in HK can vary from anything to HK$25 to HK$70 (so at the top end ?4.54) with a mean price at HK$46 (?3).

So from this, I'm thinking while its a bit pricey compared to the UK, its not TOO bad and there are more expensive places to have a drink (like most Scandinavian countries).

Any views?

[PDLM]

The UK is expensive too... and looks particularly so relative to HK at the moment given the exchange rate. Wine here is very expensive, like for like, compared to buying it in, say, France or Australia.

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Originally Posted by PDLM

The UK is expensive too... and looks particularly so relative to HK at the moment given the exchange rate. Wine here is very expensive, like for like, compared to buying it in, say, France or Australia.

Yes, the currency thing has really messed things up.

When I got my job back in Nov and now, I've lost about 5% of salary if you compare the two exchange rates. Not a happy shopper!

[Krad]

Beer is OK, relative to other countries, such as the UK. It also depends on *where* you drink. If you stay in LKF and Soho, you'll be paying at least 50% more than bars in less tourist friendly areas. If you're drinking in and around Kowloon, you can get away with 25-40 HKD a beer, in LKF, 50 HKD a beer at the minimum. At a high end bar, you'd be paying more like 70.

That's not even taking into account anything stronger than beer. Unfortunately, HK taxes 100% on imports of wine or liquor, so prices for wine, shots, mixed drinks, or cocktails, are horrendous. Wish that would stop me from ordering them, might make my nights easier.

[shilo507]

I was a dedicated wine drinker in the UK but the price here is crazy. Anyway, the climate here especially in summer makes beer a better option.

I know it's not very sophisticated but if you just want to buy a beer and drink it at home you can buy about 500-600ml in Wellcome or Park n shop for between HKD 6-12. It's a bit more pricey in Seven-Eleven/Circle K but (HKD 12-15) but that is still good value compared to the UK.

I never could get into the Lan Kwai Fong/Soho scene and generally avoid the place.

[dropdedfwed]

Agree with PDLM. Wine I paid $10-12 AUD for ($60-72HKD) I pay $140HKD (or rather, I don't pay that for it!). Beer is another thing. You can get a can of local beer at a 7-11 for about the same as a can of coke. At bars you pay a premium, but you pay that anywhere. Even at bars i think beer is still cheaper than in a bar in Oz.

[mjk]

I just went to this hot pot place in Wanchai and they are selling a bucket with 6 bottles of Tsing Tao for HK$ 5. That's 2 liters of beer for HK$5. And food wasn't expensive either.

[JonnyC]

There are 2 prices for beer in HK - happy hour price and after happy hour price. During happy hour you can often get a beer for 25-40 dollars or quite often it'll be buy one get one free or similar. However, after happy hour (usually after 9) prices get a lot steeper and you can find yourself paying pver 50 for a bottle and more for a pint. At the end of the day though, even if it costs you a pound more for a beer, unless you're a raging alcoholic it's only going to cost you an extra 5-10 pounds over the course of an evening which you'll save on you cab journey home anyway (I do not miss negotitating with dodgy mini cab drivers on old street and paying a minimum 25 pounds to get home, here it costs me 3)

[pin]

Cheers guys.

I guess what I was trying to get at here was that booze, esp compared to the UK (which is where I will be comparing it to) is actually not that too expensive.

However from what I gather wine will be a bit pricier.

As for expensive booze, there is a place where I live that charges ?10 (HK$154) for cocktails (I am sure though there are places in HK which also charge that much).

[JonnyC]

Depends where in the UK you're comparing it to really

London - yes more expensive but not restrictively so (can only comment on beer, don't drink wine)

Oop north - a lot more expensive compared to my home town and cities like manchester or leeds