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Would you move to Hong Kong, Shanghai or Beijing?
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View Poll Results: Where would you move to (to live 2-4 years) if you could?
Beijing 20 43.48%
Shanghai 9 19.57%
Hong Kong 17 36.96%
Voters: 46. You may not vote on this poll
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taibeihong -
It seems I'll have the chance to move back to China this year! After 4 years of not living there
(lived in Beijing from 1997-1999 and in Shanghai for seven months in 2000) I am VERY excited about
it! And now I have a life-partner to share the experience with. Not only that, even though it's
not 100% in my hands, I can somewhat influence whether I'll be transfered to Beijing, Shanghai or
Hong Kong!!! I think any of those three would make me (us) very very happy, but the salary I'm
being offered in each is substantially different, and something tells me that, even though the
difference in salary is supposed to reflect differences in cost of life, they may not give you the
same level of comfort.
Where (Shanghai, Beijing or Honk Kong) would these salaries give you the best quality of life?
What do you think would be the pros/cons?
Hong Kong: 6954 USD
Shanghai: 4664 USD
Beijing: 5289 USD
Thanks for the help!
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skylee -
With that salary you would be able to live very/fairly (depending on how luxurious your lifestyle
is) comfortably in HK. But this is assuming that the money is for one person. If that is for two,
then make the necessary adjustments of expectations. And you will have to take account of the tax
factor. The income tax rates in HK are about the lowest in the world (the current standard rate is
only 16%). But I am not sure what other taxes you would have to pay.
Hong Kong is a very convenient place - compact, modern, expensive, and safe. Cantonese is the
dominant dialect, but if you speak in Mandarin people do understand you. Some people might find
its pollution unacceptable, but IMHO it might not be worse that the other two places. And the
weather is much milder than BJ and SH too.
I am a HK local so am maybe a bit biased.
confucius -
I have lived in Beijing and Hong Kong for 4 years in each place.
The key to comfort is housing. It is possible to find cheaper housing in Beijing, so your salary
will go much further there. Hong Kong's rents will take big bites out of your salary if you want
to live in true comfort.
I would lean toward Hong Kong if a spouse entered the equation. Of course it's possible to isolate
yourselves in one of Beijing's exclusive gated communities and take a taxi to embassy functions
but eventually the small annoyances that remind you that you're in China will leap over the fence
like North Korean refugees.
If your spouse likes Chinese culture, has a good sense of humor, and is the adventurous type then
Beijing is a no brainer. Otherwise Hong Kong is the more civilized option.
Another factor to consider might be the 2008 Beijing Olympics if you are looking at a possible
stay of 4 years. This will be a special time to be in Beijing. I lived in Hong Kong from 1994-1997
and witnessed the handover, another historic milestone in China's modern history.
taibeihong -
Well, yes, that's supposed to cover expenses for TWO. And it's supposed to cover each and every
single expense: rent, transportation, food, everything, but at least those are the salaries AFTER
TAX. And even though I know Beijing would seem like for the more adventurous, moving to any of
those three cities would sound like a whole adventure in itself! so right now we're just curious
where my salary would go furthest.
BUT, if my partner is interested in culture, and in particular in performing arts, would Hong Kong
be a good option? is there much Chinese opera there? how about "western" opera and theatre? art
exhibitions?
skylee -
Quote:
if my partner is interested in culture, and in particular in performing arts, would Hong Kong be a
good option? is there much Chinese opera there? how about "western" opera and theatre? art
exhibitions?
Take a look ->
madizi -
Hm....I've never been in Shanghai and HK, but as I've heard, Shanghai becomes more and more NY of
the East (those who say Paris, don't have a clue) and HK is polluted and dirty dump (sorry,
Skylee, didn't mean to insult you or other HK-people). Besides, both are extremely westernised. Of
course, Beijing becomes "modern" too, but rate of "modernisation" isn't so high as in other two
cities. But.......hm.......maybe Olympics will "take care" about that. And they will demolish next
few square miles of hutongs.
Do you have fourth city to choose?
confucius -
I believe the Beijing salary will go further because you will pay a smaller proportion for rent.
When I lived in Hong Kong nearly a fourth of my monthly salary went to my landlord's Louis Vuitton
purse.
In Beijing perhaps one sixth or less of the salary will go into the landlord's fake Lois Vitton
wallet. It's still possible to find good deals all over Beijing if you look hard enough, but in
Hong Kong everybody wants to live in Mid-Levels, Happy Valley, or near Causeway Bay so you have to
go far to find reasonable rents with comfortable spaces. Do you really want to live in Sha Tin or
Aberdeen?
The transportation in Hong Kong is cheaper than Beijing because you don't need to take so many
taxis. Beijing's subway is not as convenient as Hong Kong's and you don't want your spouse to
endure the capital's public bus system on a daily basis.
Beijing is the cultural capital of China. There are plenty of both Chinese and Western
performances and exhibitions. Don't forget the embassy parties. Living in Hong Kong I don't recall
a lot of functions going on at consulates but in Beijing there are plenty of good parties.
Another thing to consider is vacations. In Hong Kong there are cheap international flights to
Taiwan, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore.
When you live in the capital those places somehow seem very far away. Beijing's closest
international destination is Korea. Yeah, right; like I'm sure you've always wanted to spend a
holiday in Seoul or Pyongyang.
Looks like only one other person so far has voted for Beijing. Notice the sole Shanghai voter
declined to tout that place's virtues. I've heard that Shanghai is more expensive than Beijing,
but I've never lived there.
skylee -
Quote:
but in Hong Kong everybody wants to live in Mid-Levels, Happy Valley, or near Causeway Bay so you
have to go far to find reasonable rents with comfortable spaces. Do you really want to live in Sha
Tin or Aberdeen?
Who is everybody? I know some people who live very close to the mainland and enjoy it (they like
it close to Shenzhen ). Some people live in the south of the island and never want to move. I live
in the east of HK Island and it is good (quiet, extremely convenient with a subway stop and a
shopping centre). But I understand that people have different tastes.
Cornelius -
Personally, I would suggest you consider between Beijing and HK. Shanghai is as similar to NY as
Hainan is to Hawaii, which is to say, it's no where close. In terms of modernity (which I assume
is its biggest attraction), it's way behind HK and Tokyo. Given that, I don't see how anyone can
claim it's the NY of the East. It's not the Paris, NY, Milan of anything. It's the Shanghai of
Shanghai of China (a city that has made great progress since the 90s, period).
For $1000-2000 USD you can find a nice cozy apartmnet in Beijing that doesn't look gay and tacky.
It'll also include 24h hot water, drinkable (or at least filtered) tap water, and at least an
excercise room. You can find something fine in HK as well for the price, but definitely not as
nice as the one in Beijing.
HK is much more western than Beijing, unless you only deal with the people at work, or hang around
the financial district in Beijing. So if you want to live in a city just like back home, except
with Chinese people, or if you have a sweet tooth for pig knuckles, dog/cat/bird/fish
liver/stomach/testicles, then HK rocks!. If you want a more traditional Chinese city, then chose
Beijing. Your money definitely goes further in Beijing. After taxes, the avg. HK income is
probably not that much lower than the US avg.
My biggest problem with HK is that people speak cantonese, and it's so damn hot and humid. My
biggest problem with Beijing is that it's China, so the avg. Zhou has a bit more third-world edge
(which can be cool, but also frustrating). Just don't go cheap in Beijing, make use of their
service industry, and you'll love it. For the cost of a very modestly priced suit in the US, you
can get a tailor made suit in Beijing with material and fit better than any ready-made Zegna.
Massages from professionals (not hookers) are way reasonable as well. And yes, there's lots of
hookers too, if you're into that stuff.
p.s. performances may be cheaper in Beijing. I went to an opera in Beijing that is 1/3 the price
of their HK and Taiwan show. Same tour. My VIP (order: VIP, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) ticket cost the
same as the 2nd class seat in Taiwan.
confucius -
The majority of expatriates in Hong Kong seek the most desirable location which is Mid-Levels. If
you make less money then you can settle for Happy Valley, Causeway Bay, North Point, Quarry Bay,
and other inexpensive locations between Wanchai and Chai Wan.
New arrivals flock to Kennedy Town and Lam Tin while married couples with children seek the
comfort and quality neighborhood environment of Discovery Bay.
Outcasts and social misfits are banished to the Lamma Island leper colony.
It is the rare gwailo who even sets foot in New Territories let alone decides to live in that
remote region. I don't know many foreigners who are truly happy to be living in Fan Ling. I have
an American friend who moved to South Horizons from Tai Koo and she really likes it out there but
complains all the time about taking the bus to work when she used to just hop on the MTR.
When I first moved to Hong Kong I lived in a rabbit hole in North Point about the same size as
Saddam Hussein's post-war underground suite and then after I landed a comfy expat job with a Swiss
multinational company I moved uptown to the nice building directly above the Tin Hau subway
station overlooking Victoria Park. My best friend followed a similar path, starting in Tin Hau and
then moving to Mid-Levels.
It never ends. Once you get to Mid-Levels you can still go higher and closer to the Escalator
while dreaming of owning a place on the Peak some day.
Beijing's real estate situation is vastly different because you can find cheap apartments
literally across the street from expensive gated communities, therefore almost no particular area
is exclusive to any tax bracket or salary range.
I see Beijing has caught up to Hong Kong in the poll. Vote Peking!
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