[Alexei]

I am considering a placement in HK. The offer is US$65K per year (I trust it is HK$40K monthly or so) with a free housing for me, my spouse and a child. I would appreciate it if somebody who resides in HK could share their thoughts on this offer... Would this be enough to live in HK and save some money? Thank you!

[PDLM]

It's probably about 3-4 times the average household income in HK, so yes.

[Alexei]

Thanks, PDLM. What about the average household lifestyle in HK - is it comparable to the US one?

[tallwithdimples]

How old is your child? International schools can eat into 15k usd of your income a year. I assume your housing allowance will be around 20k hkd a month? Since you make less than 80k a year, your effective tax rate will go down from a US rate of 35 to hk rate of 15, which will give you the nice boost you might be looking for. But the international school might kill everything.

[JAherbert]

I would say that depends........ Is your employer paying for kids school fees too? Is english your child's first language? International schools that use english can be very expensive.
School places for international schools are not so easy to find, again that depends on the age of your child.

Oh and remember - even if employer pays your housing, you will still pay tax on that allowance (although at a reduced rate)

cheers,

[tsuiwah]

Is it STILL common for employers to pay for international school fees in Hong Kong? What kind of jobs usually include this benefit (besides senior manager transfers from the "home" country)?

[KnowItAll]

>> Is it STILL common for employers to pay for international school fees in Hong Kong?

Yes. Most transfers from home countries will include some educational allowances if the transfer includes sending the wife and kids along for a period of time.

I see no point in accepting a transfer if your family is going to suffer and your income and lifestyle is going to suffer.

[cb1118]

no, there is a public school for foreigner
**only speaks english in the school

however, seats are limited, so you have to apply fast

anyway, other tips

housing
try to find a real estate that has facilities or park/playground
**many of this apartments have many foreigners.
so your wife may also meet new friends
and your childrens can meet other childrens

leisure
we have Hong Kong park, Kowloon park, and a very nice park in the middle of the Shatin horse racing track
they are free to the public

clothing
remember to buy things when they are on sale (up to 60% off)
the sale season is July and Feb

[cb1118]

Originally Posted by cb1118

no, there is a public school for foreigner
**only speaks english in the school

however, seats are limited, so you have to apply fast

anyway, other tips

housing
try to find a real estate that has facilities or park/playground
**many of this apartments have many foreigners.
so your wife may also meet new friends
and your childrens can meet other childrens
**about HK$15000 per month for a 750sq ft

leisure
we have Hong Kong park, Kowloon park, and a very nice park in the middle of the Shatin horse racing track
they are free to the public

clothing
remember to buy things when they are on sale (up to 60% off)
the sale season is July and Feb

transportation
MTR (subway) = $4.50 -14
bus = about the same
minibus (learn to use the "green minibus") they are great for short route
tram (only in HK Island) = $2 anywhere

[Alexei]

Thanks to All for detailed replies with suggestions, ideas and advice!
I have only a couple of days to make my decision re this job offer and your input really helps a lot.
I wouldn't be getting a housing allowance - they seem to have some sort of a corporate housing available for free... I would need to pay the amount ecqual to the taxes I would be paying in the US - company policy on tax equalization (they will be paying my HK taxes for me)... So that's a 30-35% tax we are talking about... The kid is 7 and his native language is English... I guess we'd need a US international school - I heard they are really expensive (the company would cover 50% of the tuition though)...