[JohanSWE]

Well depends on where you live also.
YL is cheap you can easily find a good restaurant with healthier foood for 25HKd here.
And its all up to what you see as essential for living.
If you want to get all the stuff you had back home and try to shelter yourself from the fact that your not back home and totaly anhialate any experience of acctually living in a different country well sure get a place in stanley and fork out the cash. But if you can enjoy life in NT you can get a decent place for as low as maybe 2000/month if you live in a village..again this is all subject to what you find esssential.

[Emuse]

Originally Posted by cerberus

i think you need around 20K min to feel secure in HK and still have a life worth waking up for.

I think perhaps you might try to be a tad more optimistic and perhaps find another reason to live as well.

The whole point is, life here in HK is not economically unbearable nor in fact is it the "absolutely-most-expensive-place-in-the-whole-world" as the article posted above seems to indicate. The point here was that the minimum required to live can in fact be quite low if you are willing to make some sacrifices. Obviously I would myself not like to live on $25 a meal (have done it), BUT the option does exist if needed. When you are just starting out, as many on here are, short-term survival is the first order of business. I've been reading this website for about two years prior to moving to HK and posted many questions myself. I love this site since it provides such useful information, but I was often unnecessarily discouraged by the many negative responses that so many people gave. Sure, the facts are essential, but we need to bear in mind that most of us can't start at the top of the ladder or even anywhere near the middle. People come here for answers, but also they come for support and encouragement. Lets not try to paint the most bleak picture imaginable when there is more than one way to live and more than one way to look at things.

Incidentally, ice cream cones in the part of the USA I'm from are 1.25 USD which equals roughly 9.725 HKD. I like using ice cream as a benchmark... goes back to that positive thing. It correlates as accurately/inaccurately to economic well-being as the awful tasting big mac ever will.

[cosmokat]

Yeh, beats me why it is that HK doesn't offer monthly pass options for the MTR or Bus system...so if you tend to make multiple trips by public transport a day, that cost can quickly add up. Apparently, they do offer it on the KCR, but who wants to live out in NT?!?

[cerberus]

ok emuse i'm assuming you're not trying to be mean and/or start a flame war. how come expressing my opinion is "discouraging"? should i tailor it to suit someone? or do you also number among those who think only bitter people complain/critique? the guy asked for estimates on living in HK presumably in comfort. why would he come here to suffer or make sacrifices? doesn't make sense. one can suffer in their present location, no need to move.

regardless, cost of living isn't determined by exchange rates but rather purchasing power since we don't live in a bank. hence the ice cream example, amiable as it may be, still doesn't reflect the actual situation unless a person is a true expat i.e getting paid in their "native" currency and maybe even enjoying double pay.

[PDLM]

cosmokat,

Why should the MTR or the buses offer monthly rates? They are (unlike their equivalents in Europe) commercial operations. The cost of a journey is independent of how many you make each month, and if you have to use the MTR then you have to use the MTR - I would imagine there would be very little "loyalty" effect from monthly rates to offset the loss in revenue.

If you want subsidised public transport then you need to live somewhere else (and pay 30+% taxes instead of <= 16%).

[carang]

what do you consider "basics"?

for some people it would include some form of cable tv or broadband connection... others would say they are luxuries...

we live a fairly "basic" lifestyle. family of 3 plus a helper.
we spend around $7000/month on food(including toiletries, diapers, formula, eating out etc.). we RARELY go to a western restaurant, they are too expensive. however, when we do, we economise. Pepperoni's pizza have "Two for Tuesdays" specials, so you can get 2 slabs of baby back ribs for $120. For us, this is a big occasion.

we pay $7000/month rent for a 3 brm flat in DB.

we have 2 mobile phones(old style blackberries)...$330/month(total)

home phone with IDD $400
electric $1000
gas $300
water $100
nowtv $250
netvigator broadband $290(we get some months for free...so actually works out to be less)
transportation $1500 MINIMUM(currently we both work in DB, so that's why this is so little)...as of next month it will be more like $2500/month(3 people)


there are places where you can eat very cheaply. (my favourite dumpling place closed down to gov't urban renewal...fantastic home-made beijing dumplings for around $18-25)

so i guess what i'm trying to say, is.....

it all depends on YOU and what kind of life YOU want.

[Dick_In_Peak]

I think I am the cheapest person around .

Mobile = 120 $/mnth
Internet =186$
travel expense = 0 $ ( I go on foot to work and Gym )
Broadband TV = 150 $(I have almost all the cheapest
cheapest channels only ).
California Gym =298$ (I am not allowed in Peak Hours )
Fooding = 1000 $ /mnth MAX.(I never go out to dine and wine .I Only go out to dine and wineonly if i find MURGA .
*Murga is someone who has lots of money but
no brain at all .
so my monthly expense is not even 2000 $

Carang is right..... "it all depends on YOU and what kind of life YOU want"

It all depends on YOU and how cheap YOu wanna be .

[HKFella]

Originally Posted by Dick_In_Peak

I think I am the cheapest person around .

Mobile = 120 $/mnth
Internet =186$
travel expense = 0 $ ( I go on foot to work and Gym )
Broadband TV = 150 $(I have almost all the cheapest
cheapest channels only ).
California Gym =298$ (I am not allowed in Peak Hours )
Fooding = 1000 $ /mnth MAX.(I never go out to dine and wine .I Only go out to dine and wineonly if i find MURGA .
*Murga is someone who has lots of money but
no brain at all .
so my monthly expense is not even 2000 $

Carang is right..... "it all depends on YOU and what kind of life YOU want"

It all depends on YOU and how cheap YOu wanna be .

The Pearl, unless there's a 'murga' or something to take care of these, add add to that something for accommodation (!), utilities, IDD, laundry/dc., clothing/shoes.

To carang's numbers, add $3600 min for helper she mentioned, unless it's a local part-timer (for what $60/hr? - not sure). diapers/formula probably means no kids' schooling (including play schools) yet.

[cosmokat]

I don't believe I was complaining was I? It was merely a question for thought and a light-hearted comment, that's all. Hey, but do appreciate your views PDLM.

[kkh]

How large of a flat can you get now for $7000 in DB? Does the helper get her own room or is it a helpers quarters?