Moving to Hong Kong with children from Australia

Hi Sharee, I suggest you have a look at our Hong Kong Expat Guide, which is full of useful information, including accommodation in Hong Kong for expats, schools, expat salaries, and the pros and cons of living in Hong Kong. 

Hi there,
It sounds like you have a big decision to make.  DB is a good place to base yourself if your husband will be working at the airport and you can look at places further away from the ferry terminal which will be cheaper (and more convenient to get to the airport).

The salary and living allowance you mention seems adequate, but not excessive so make sure you look at how much you will need to allocate to rental and go from there.  I would imagine 16k - 18k and upwards, but please do check this: squarefoot.com.hk  is a good place to start. 

High rise living isn't everyone's first choice when it comes to raising children, but millions of families here do it and make it work.  Especially in DB, you will find plenty of outdoor spaces for play and recreation and you can always fit safety screens on to balconies and windows if you are worried.   There are some lower rise apartments in DB also. 


I would read through all the information on this site and ask any further questions you have.

Good Luck!
Norma  

One comment I would make is to check out the schooling situation as your oldest is at the age when many start International Schools here; certainly by 5 he would be. It is very, very difficult to get places and DB is particularly hard. I really cannot emphasise this enough!! The Australian International School does give priority to Australians, however it is still very competitive to get a place (so being an Aussie is no guarantee) and also it is located in Kowloon Tong, so a pretty long commute for a 4 or 5 year old from DB. Cost of schooling is also an issue, check their website for prices. Related to that, be aware that certainly in the mornings there will be very few children your older son's age around as the vast majority if not all will be at school, so something to take into consideration when saying you won't want to send him to kinder..Also there is no such thing as childcare in the Australian sense as everyone uses domestic helpers for this, so if you have no helper and no kinder you will have the children 24/7 (which I know is totally normal in Australia, but here society assumes you do have help and not having it can have its different challenges here- i had a 3 and 10 month old when I first arrived and didn't have help for 4 months). Don't want to put you off, we love living here, but the schooling in particular is absolutely crucial so please check it out. Good luck Caroline

after living in HK for 7 years and living in DB i can say that that is not going to be an easy salary to live on with 2 children if you don't get any schooling support? 10,000 living expenses will only cover 1/2 of your rent, rent is very expensive and incredibly small units compared to Australia. 45,000 will cover your lifestyle but not if you have to then send two children to school which is normally around 9,000 per month each child or a bit less if they are going to kindy at DMK or DBIS but as they go to school it increases the cost of living.. Food shopping is expensive and so is the ferry costs into central for 4 people. Local transport amongst HK is cheap. It is a great place to live

Hi Sharee, My family is in a similar situation to you,and possibly have job offer at the same place as your husbandce.It is big decision in view of salary compared to cost of living.We have a 3month old and are wondering about living in high rise for next 5-10 years. Would be interested to know what you decided. Private mail if you would like to bronangela@hotmail.com