[bsc1280]

Hi,

I will be moving to early next year. Have got my wife and daughter coming along.

Now a friend who is moving too, and gets 30% more than me, told that he researched and 15-20k is the budget i should be looking at.

I really dont afford this.

I need a 2 bed room, 900~ square feet, apartment. in not very old building and with atleast children play area. will work in central and willing to travel around 40-50 mins door to door. also need a car park
My budget is 8~9 k (or 10 at most)

I have gone through the forum and have done my homework. Tung Chung and discovery bay seem to be the areas.

1. are there any other areas in this budget range and apartment specs?
2. do they charge seperalet for car park? if yes, how much is it/
3. can i get an apartment like the one i need in discovery bay for that money?
4. how about tung chung?


I have gone through this forum and have some knowledge but whatever i heard, seems like 15k is the sum people pay.

Please give your thoughts and preferebly building name as well.

Thanks a lot.
Dev

[PDLM]

Frankly I think there is no way you can meet all of your requirements.

And a number of specific points:

- no private cars are allowed at all in Discovery Bay
- your friend's research sounds about right for something that just about meets your specification

Why are you so fixed on a car? Very few people who can only afford 10K for an apartment have a car in Hong Kong. Around HK Island car parking spaces alone can cost $3000+ per month to rent and remember that you'll need to pay that much for another space near work to park your car there if you plan to commute by car.

I feel you are getting into something that you really don't understand - maybe you should talk more to your friend about his research.

[Katanga]

I agree with PDLM on your lack of research.

You really don't need a car here with the superb public transport service. Even if you take a taci pretty much everywhere, it will be cheaper than owning a car.

[chubbysan]

you are probably thinking abt a car because of the logistics of bringing your wife and daughter around, like to school, etc.. go to related car threads in this forum to get an idea of budget.. but in summary, after your initial capital outlay (cost of car, license, road tax, etc), expect to spend about $4k a month (maybe $2k plus for car park and $1k plus for petrol)

on housing, i am more familiar with the HK island area, and for a 10k budget on rental.. you can probably get a 600-700 sq ft (2 bedrm) apartments at Fortress Hill, North Point, Quarry Bay.. just to name a few areas. These will be really old buildings however, and mainly local population.

[sunniefaith]

Have a look at Gold Coast or apartments around that area. You'll be able to get something around 10K plus a car park. But having said that, it'll take about 45 mins to an hour to get to Central or Hong Kong Island.

[carang]

and you will be paying WAYYYYYY more than $1000/month on petrol if you are commuting from tung chung or gold coast to HK island.

also you need to factor in toll costs. if you are living in Tung chung and commuting by car(crazy idea, if you ask me) you will pay $2100/month for car park in citygate plaza and then you will pay $110 on tolls each day to get to central.

if you live in gold coast, not sure what car park will cost you, but you will be paying $80/day on tolls.

if you are in db, you will NOT need a car and it is easy enough for your wife and child to get around. we did it with two kids.

you need to come to HK to see what is available in your price range. and then you can weigh the pros and cons for your own family.

good luck!

[larac]

I used to commute daily from HK Island to Tuen Mun(near Gold Coast). Luckily work paid all the car costs, petrol and tolls and the carpark at work. We rarely used the car on weekends and had to fill up every Friday night at about $550 a go. Tolls on the Western Tunnel are $40 each way so $400 per week and our carpark in the city was $2,200 so unless everything is paid for I suggest you forget a car.

I now live in Sham Tseng and you can rent a good place here for your budget. Do a search for Bellagio and you will find all the info you need. It is not on an MTR line but the buses are good, the complex is huge with good facilities and your commute to the city will be around 30mins each way. Your wife however may prefer a more expat area though.

How old is your daughter? Her schooling may actually be your deciding factor on where you choose to live.

[carang]

have you budgeted anything for school? how much?

[bsc1280]

thanks for the information guys...now i am convinced I might have under-budgeted for the rents part :-(
actually when i say I need car..it would be what my wife would use on weekdays or on weekends when we go out...not for my commute to office....we are not going to use it extensively but still i would prefer having a car....
how about areas in tung chung? i read you get 2 br 800-900 sqm and in not so old buildings...i am very fine with travelling 40-50 mins door to door for central....

[larac]

I still say forget the car - pay a bit more on rent instead and then just make use of the fantastic public transport system. Buses, trains, trams and taxis are all cheap and convenient. We did not drive our company car once in the first year we were here. The great thing about public transport is that you have more freedom ie: all day you can hop from one place to the next without having to keep going back to where your car is parked. Also public parking costs between $8 & $40 HK per hour.

If you live at Tung Chung the MTR goes right there but it is a long way out of town - just close to the airport. Take a look at ypmap.com.hk so get an idea of where things are, better yet do the standard thing and book yourself into a serviced apartment for the first month so you can see the places you are thinking of first hand.

You have also mentioned Discovery Bay. I might get flamed for saying this but on your budget I don't think you would feel like you fitted in very well there - DB is full of expats that are quite well off, travel alot, have maids, belong to clubs etc.