[jimbo]

depending on where you're living and working I'd budget approximately $300 a week in travel expenses.

6k for food is indeed high, Apart from eating out socially we spend about $300 a week on buying in groceries for two of us. We eat out a lot and if you go somewhere cheap such as cafe de coral/maxims etc then you can eat well for only $35 a head and thats for a rice dish,soup and a drink.

Utility bills are more likely to be in the $1200 a month bracket depending on whether you wish to subscribe to cable t.v etc, bills will be more expensive in the summer if you use air con a lot.

[hughb2000]

i say:

$100 a day for food = $3k a month
max $50 a day for transport = $1.5k a month

i currently spend about $75 on food and $30 on transport per day..

electricity most likely around $3-500 in winter $5-800 in summer.. noone uses much gas in HK and water is pretty cheap also.

[carang]

we pay around $6k per month on food, but that includes diapers and formula....

if you are looking for food on par with what you'd get at home, you'd need $6k... if you are willing to go "local" it can cost you much less...

example... 1 litre of milk will set you back between $16 and $21.... that's about 4-5x the price i'd pay back home... cereal is also very expensive(a box of cininamon toasties is around $48!!!)

on the other hand if you buy fruit and veggies at a wet market, it's much nicer and the quality is better...

good meat here is expensive, much cheaper if you buy the chinese meat...

[Mat]

I spend:
- about 800/900 a month for transport (I live in NT and work in HK).
- On average (cos many business lunches you do not pay..) 35 HKD per lunches (5 days a week)
- 1.000 on bills (we are 2 ppl as well)
Just as n example....
My big budgets are travelling and entertainement....

[PettsWood]

I live in a 260 sq. ft apartment now so my space is likely to double if I can rent a 500 sq. ft flat.

Don't have too high a hope for the space expansion. If you are in a flat that measures internally to 260 sq ft, it may be called 400+ sq ft in Hong Kong. The way it is measured in HK is that it includes all the communal areas of the building/estate (and I still don't know where those spaces are) etc. Usually the newer the flat/development, the larger the discount you have to put in.

[normad]

Thanks again everyone for your useful examples.

Jimbo, hughb2000 and Mat, when you mentioned transportation cost, is it for one person only?

Carang, thanks for your clarification. We don't have children so I think our food budget can be lower.

I was looking through the article "Cost of Living Hong Kong Style". It doesn't list the expenses for pets. Can anyone tell me how much it costs to buy a package of cat food (1 kg)? Do Science Diet exist in Hong Kong--coz we would only allow our cat to eat Science Diet. What about cat litter? And vet's visits? One more thing (perhaps a strange question to some of you): Our cat has been taking birth control pills since she was little coz she's never been sterilized. Does anyone know if vets give out pills to cats in Hong Kong? If such pills don't exist in HK, maybe we have to take her to an operation here, which she's not going to like

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

[normad]

Originally Posted by PettsWood

Don't have too high a hope for the space expansion. If you are in a flat that measures internally to 260 sq ft, it may be called 400+ sq ft in Hong Kong. The way it is measured in HK is that it includes all the communal areas of the building/estate (and I still don't know where those spaces are) etc. Usually the newer the flat/development, the larger the discount you have to put in.

Oh, thanks for the warning. Not very welcoming news That means if I really want to double my space, I'd better look for a 800 sq ft +/- apartment, right?

[jimbo]

travel costs which I quoted are for each person, Thats factoring in travel on weekends too, Will probably be a little bit less.

[Shoegal]

40k for 2 is ok.
If you cook yourself, don't shop like mad, don't go to private hospitals etc.
Some people earn way less and they have kids to feed.
Tax should be lower here if you don't have to pay UK tax.

Maybe you can consider vacation in China or Asia, those are cheaper options.

[Mat]

normad, in my case it is for one person (transportation), if I count for both of us then the monthly expense is around 1.500 to 1.600 HKD