Hong Kong, China Report of what it's like to live there - 02/16/15
Personal Experiences from Hong Kong, China
Background:
1. Was this post your first expatriate experience? If not, what other cities have you lived in as an expat?
No.
2. What is your home city/country? How long is the trip to post from there, with what connections? How easy/difficult is it to travel to this city/country?
Chicago. 16 hours nonstop flight to O'hare from Hong Kong.
3. How long have you lived here?
2 years.
4. What brought you to this city (e.g. diplomatic mission, business, NGO, military, teaching, retirement, etc.)?
Government.
Housing, Groceries & Food:
1. What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
The U.S. government has housing in a handful of high-rise apartment buildings either near the Consulate or on the South Side of the island closer to HKIS. Most of the buildings have amenities of some sort (pool, playroom, tennis courts, outdoor space, etc).
We live in a building in which several of the apartments are USG owned. The apartments in our building are very dated: outdated air-conditioning units which let in street noise and polluted air, very outdated and unsafe single-pane windows that lack any soundproofing, no dishwasher, very few outlets (which are overtaken by the air-purifiers and dehumidifiers that must be kept running at all times), and no dishwasher. Our building is also the only building with no amenities which makes it difficult for those of us with small children (particularly on days when it is not safe to take children outdoors because of air quality).
The apartments are large by Hong Kong standards.
A building is being constructed directly across the street from us. Consulate staff acknowledge that the windows and air-conditioning units in our building are deficient, yet nothing will be done in the near future to correct the problem. The residents of our building are bombarded with constant jackhammering and construction noises six days a week, 12 hours a day. This has been going on for over a year. The windows do nothing to keep the noise out. It is disruptive to the sleep of our children and has made it impossible for me to work (from home). It is excruciating. They are still working on the foundation of the building so construction noise will continue to be a problem in the foreseeable future. A home should be a place a respite from the chaos and noise of the city. My youngest can't even take a nap without being jarred awake from the jackhammering. I cannot emphasize enough the demoralizing effect of the constant construction noise on our community. I wish we knew of this problem when completing our housing questionnaire.
2. How would you describe the availability and cost of groceries and household supplies relative to your home country?
Just about anything can be found in Hong Kong. One thing I was not prepared for is the very high cost of groceries, particularly meat, dairy, and produce (things you can't get through the DPO). Be prepared to spend more on groceries than on your mortgage back home. Both the consulate doctor and the community liaison officer advise against shopping "local" due to all the food scares in China. That leaves imports, which are very expensive. We are not provided with an adequate cost of living allowance here in Hong Kong, this is widely recognized and accepted. The low COLA versus the high cost of living in Hong Kong is a prevalent topic of conservation among the Consulate community. Living in Hong Kong has become a financial hardship for families.
3. What typical restaurants, food delivery services, and/or takeout options are popular among expatriates?
McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, etc are all here and cheap.
4. Are there any unusual problems with insects or other infestations in housing?
Yes, cockroaches can be a problem.
Mosquitoes are also bad, but no worse than the summer months in the U.S.
Daily Life:
1. How do you send and receive your letters and package mail? Are local postal facilities adequate?
DPO.
2. What is the availability and cost of household help, and what types of help are typically employed by expatriates?
A domestic helper costs around 5,000 HKD per month and are a way of life here. If you have more than one young child, a domestic helper is a necessity. The whole society relies on the domestic helper system and there is an expectation that someone is always available to watch your children. I have two in school on opposite sides of the island and an infant who naps and I would be lost without our helper. Hong Kong is an incredibly inconvenient city to live in with young children--for example, even picking up a child from a play date is an ordeal. I spent over two hours last week picking up my son from a play date after school (long taxi ride plus traffic). Thank goodness I had a helper to get my daughter off her school bus and be with my infant while he napped.
Having a full-time helper sounds more glamorous than it is . I was much more productive with three kids on my own in the U.S. than with three kids and a helper in Hong Kong. I would leave my full-time help in a nanosecond and move back home if I could .
3. Are credit cards widely accepted and safe to use locally? Are ATMs common and do you recommend using them? Are they safe to use?
Credit cards are widely accepted.
4. What English-language religious services are available locally?
There is a wide-variety of religious services available.
5. How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
None.
6. Would someone with physical disabilities have difficulties living in this city?
Yes. I have enough trouble navigating the city with a stroller. I could not imagine having to do it via wheelchair.
Transportation:
1. Are local buses, trams, trains or taxis safe and affordable?
All are safe and affordable. Public transportation is hard to navigate with three young children so I find myself using taxis more. Taxis can get expensive when going to the South Side of the island. Taxi drivers also like to ride on the brake and smoke in their cars so my family often gets car sick. I look forward to the day when I never have to ride in a Hong Kong taxi.
Phone & Internet:
1. Is high-speed home Internet access available? How long does it typically take to install it after arrival?
Yes and we pay about US$80 per month. Our internet tends to freeze at night.
Health & Safety:
1. Are there personal security concerns to be aware of at this post? Please describe.
No, Hong Kong is very safe.
2. Are there any particular health concerns? What is the quality of available medical care? What medical conditions typically require medical evacuation?
Yes. Pollution is a major health concern. The pollution makes it much harder to recover from respiratory illness. Both my husband and myself developed reactive airway disease which required nearly a month of steroid treatment. This is a common occurrence among our friends as well. My children are always coughing and have runny noses and my youngest has developed ear infections which I find interesting as we've never had an ear infection in our family. Ear infections may be caused by high pollution (several medical studies have been done on this) so I believe this is yet another adverse result of pollution on my family. I know of a few children hospitalized with asthma when pollution levels peaked a few weeks ago.
Over the course of three months last spring, each of my children had Hand Foot Mouth disease, strep throat, and Scarlet fever. Someone is always home sick. I hear this is common in Hong Kong as all of the strains childhood illnesses are much worse here. Hand Foot Mouth disease occurs year round.
3. What is the air quality like at post (good/moderate/bad)? Are there seasonal air quality issues? Does the air quality have an impact on health?
The air quality in Hong Kong is very unhealthy and comparable to other major Chinese cities. Recently, a columnist for the South China Morning Post wrote: "In the last two months, according to the smartphone app, Airpocalypse, the AQI at the Central [Hong Kong] roadside meter has exceeded that of Beijing (measured at the U.S. Embassy) a third of the time."
Today, for example, the air is 467 percent over what the World Health Organization deems "healthy." Currently, the USA has rated the air in Hong Kong (RSP/PM10) at 333 or "hazardous" and warns of "emergency conditions" and that the "entire population is likely to be affected." Last week, we saw conditions at over 600 percent of what the WHO deems healthy.
Hong Kong enjoys fewer than 60 "healthy" air days per year.
4. What is the overall climate: is it extremely hot or cold, wet or dry, at any time of year, for example?
It is hot and humid in most of the year with a cool winter (light jackets and sweaters are needed).
Schools & Children:
1. What is the availability of international schools? What has been your general experience with them, if any?
Hong Kong has a great selection of international schools. I have one child at HKIS. We like it although in retrospect, we should have explored options closer to our home as he has to get on the bus at 6:50 am. I have another child at Island Christian Academy, which is closer, and we like it so far.
Start applying at schools as soon as you know you are moving to Hong Kong as it is very competitive.
2. What accommodations do schools make for special-needs kids?
I hear the Harbor School is good for accommodating special-needs although I do not have any personal experience.
3. Are preschools available? Day care? Are these expensive? What has been your experience with them, if any? Do the schools provide before- and/or after-school care?
Yes. Preschool is available and very expensive (part-time programs range between US$700 and $1500 per month).
4. Are local sports classes and/or activities available for kids?
Yes. Hong Kong has a wide variety of activities available to kids. Expats and locals alike feel the need to schedule their children from 7 am to 7 pm at night. Activities here are very expensive (we pay about three times as much we did in our high cost of living area in the U.S.) and we only allow our children to participate in one or two activities at any given time due to financial constraints.
Expat Life:
1. What is the relative size of the expatriate community? How would you describe overall morale among expatriates?
The expat community is very large and the morale of long-term expats in banking and finance is quite high, although all express concern over the air pollution.
2. What are some typical ways to socialize, either with local people or with other expatriates? Are there groups or clubs that you can recommend?
Anything you can do in any international city (New York, Paris, etc) you can do here.
3. Is this a good city for single people? For couples? For families? Why or why not?
This is a good city for singles, couples, and families with older children.
4. What are some interesting/fun things to do in the area? Can you recommend any “hidden gems"?
Exploring away from the expat neighborhoods.
Cheap massages.
5. What are the particular advantages of living in this city?
As with any large, cosmopolitan, first world city, there are many advantages (but it will cost you): fine dining, nightlife, travel to SE Asia. Exploring the back alleys and "off the beaten path" is also very interesting.
6. Can you save money?
No. If you are a single-income family on a U.S. government salary, living in Hong Kong is a financial hardship.
Words of Wisdom:
1. What do you wish you had known about this particular city/country before moving there?
I wish I had known that the U.S. government was getting rid of the R&R allowance for Hong Kong as this is a huge added expense for families. It is very expensive for our family of five to travel from Hong Kong to the U.S. (or anywhere really) and I am unwilling to remain trapped on this island, exposing my children to constant air and noise pollution, for two to three years. So an R&R of some sort is an expensive necessity that I did not truly grasp until moving here.
I wish we were informed of the construction across the street/deficiencies in our building as we would have completed our housing questionnaire differently.
2. Knowing what you know now, would you still move to this city?
No, absolutely not.
3. If you move here, you can leave behind your:
Any notion that you will save money.
4. But don't forget your:
Bring an Ergo or other infant carrier if you have a baby or toddler as using a stroller here is just about impossible.
