Can I afford to live in Hong Kong with this salary?

Question

Hello,

I found a internship opportunity in Hong Kong for a year.
My salary will be 7000HKD, and the firm found me a room to rent for around 2100 HKD (I don't know if people in HongKong pay taxes for water, electricty, apartmant fees or is it included??)
So apart from that, do you think that I could manage to live there with that amount of money? or is it too low?
As far as I heard, 3000 HKD would be enough for one months food costs,
so except my rent and food, I will have 1900 HKD for living, for taxes (if there are any) and for social stuff..

what do you think??

Answer 1

How will you handle the work permit? As far I as know foreigners work permits are not issued for salaries below HK$25,000 or so.

In any case, HK$7000 is very low. It's hard to find local office clerks below 10,000

Answer 2

What about insurance and medical, your company would pay that for you and check the coverage?? Medical is what I most concern about when I move to foreign places. The monthly rent of a 450 sqft studio or one-room apartment in somewhere near MTR stations in Hong Kong island would be from HK$6,500 up (without furnishing), if you don't mind to live in New Territories area, there are some cheaper choices. I think you can afford to live in Hong Kong with your salary but you need to check whether they would provide you the medical care - Medical services are expensive here.

Answer 3

2100 for rent is really cheap and you will probably live in a shoebox or quite far away, but with the excellent transport links you'll always wanna go out anyway and be anywhere in a matter of minutes.

As for living expenses, it is really easy to get by with hardly any money at all. If you go to more local places instead of shopping malls and upmarket areas, food can be really cheap i.e in industrial areas you can get a whole meal for $15. And Mcdonalds in HK is one of the best and cheapest in the world also!

You might not be able to spend alot of money at nice clubs if you intend to book tables and spend on alcohol though. Everything else i.e non designer but still very decent quality clothes is very affordable.

Good luck with your internship! www.batgwa.com is a good blog about a family living in HK and check out the MTR (HK's subway) website.

Answer 4

It is a bit tight but you can definitely live on that kind of budget especially if your bed is covered (at that price, you can be sure it's just a bed...). But beware as some have said. Make sure the offer comes from a legit company. If they ask you to give them your bank account number, credit card information, or worst to send them any money upfront, to cover work permits, travel, other costs, etc. then this is a trap for sure.

Answer 5

Where did you get this job? Can you give us a website or at least email me? There are traps that will trick you into doing something else. 7000 HKD is very low. 7000-2100 = 4900, minus the transportation, food, bills, it isn't enough!

Answer 6

well no. as far as im concerned, Hong Kong prices for items are going up. i was in Hong kong for quite a while and i have familiar things going on in my head. 7000HKD is about $940 here in the USA. you will have a tight budget like many will say and very less money left to spend on other stuff. u think you need at LEAST 10000HKD. i am not lying to you or else i would be cheating and lying to myself

;)

Answer 7

It's gonna be tight. Cuz you have to factor in the overseas travel, moving, entertainment such expenses. Food and commute will be cheap. Double check the living condition for sure!

Answer 8

internship? at that rate? you'll be fine. go enjoy. but you will likely need an air purifier for your flat. the air quality is terrible. it's like working in a coal mine if you go there. or smoking 2 packs a day. but, 1 year, it's ok - your lungs will recover.

Answer 9

yes i think so.
and yes thay do have to pay taxes for water, electricty, apartmant fees.

Answer 10

sounds to me like a very tight budget.