Singapore vs. Hong Kong: Which Is More Expensive?

[WeiHan]

I just chatted with an american expat who has stayed in both Hong Kong and Singapore. And guess what he told me? In singapore, everything is more expensive than in HK except MRT, bus, taxi and hawker centre food. That is about all. And this is on top the fact that we have made sacrifices by crowding the whole island out with foreigners.......I wonder what our government is doing........the expat told me that he prefers HK than singapore because Singapore is more like an artificial expats fairy land. All the downtown condos are basically occupied by expats....we sacrifice the soul and all the greenery only to get high living cost....now...please don't accuse for government bashing...


http://blogs.wsj.com/scene/2011/07/12/singapore-vs-hong-kong-which-is-more-expensive/

[verykiasu2010]

HK is definitely more crowed than Singapore, with many gweilos and even much much more PRC than in SG.


Their taxi is cheaper than SG, flag down fare was HK$15.40, now HK$18 if remember correctly

Their housing cost is a few times than in SG, shoe box apartments are standard. Youngsters prefer to hang out till late to go home just to sleep because their home is so cramped and no place to rest and relax. Home is just for sleeping and hang out the laundry.

HK MRT is more squeezed than SG

I used to have an office in Kowloon Bay, and still have relatives living there. and I still visit HK about 3 times every 2 months for business.

[WeiHan]

the expat was saying that HK has many islands that you can escape to the quiet.

[WeiHan]

more huge real park, hills, small mountain and real beaches…though the city itself is more crowded than singapore

[verykiasu2010]

WeiHan:

the expat was saying that HK has many islands that you can escape to the quiet.

not liveable islands

[verykiasu2010]

WeiHan:

more huge real park, hills, small mountain and real beaches....though the city itself is more crowded than singapore

not exactly as claimed

many mountains are not even climbed because they are not habitable

in terms of sq km, HK has more than SG, but many areas are not usable

and they buy their water from China, Pearl River's eastern tributary 东江...

[LOLMum]

WeiHan:

the expat was saying that HK has many islands that you can escape to the quiet.

WeiHan:

more huge real park, hills, small mountain and real beaches....though the city itself is more crowded than singapore

yes, there are many small little islands but who in the world has time to go there every week for just 2 days.

real parks, hills, small mountain and real beaches are far away from city. those near to city are dirty, crowded with people and all kind of pollution. so if you are living and working in the countryside, that's great.

yes, hong kong is so much better than singapore in many ways but life there is not easy for local.

many hong kongers live in tiny flat which cost a bomb. many families are unable to afford a flat. if they purchase a flat, chances of it turning into a liability is so much higher there. it is also expensive to rent if you go by psf.

fees at international schools and emf schools are not cheap. and also it is very difficult and competitive in trying to get the kids into a reputable kindy and primary schools. some schools need kids/parents to sit for an exam and interview before admission. so parents are spending $$$$ to send their kids to all sorts of enrichment classes to boost their cv and also to classes to prepare them for interviews and mock exams. i hope this will never happen in singapore ( :faint: if our younger generations have to go for interview/exam to get into kindy and primary schools).

health care is also costly unless you go to govt hospital. also if i am pregnant, i dont want to live in hong kong as i might end up sleeping in the hallway cos' all the beds are taken up by mainland chinese.

foodwise, hong kong is so much better than singapore.

transportwise, hong kong is also a winner.

service wise, hong kong wins again.

air pollution wise, singapore is a much better place.

but if you want to make $$$, big or small business, hong kong is the place to be.

[daisyt]

A friend of hong kong told me, daily grocery items are more expensive in Singapore. And she asked me, why NTUC prices are higher compare to other supermarkets. Actually hor, I don’t know what to say…

[LOLMum]

many hong kongers are very price sensitive and they can smell a discount or a wrong pricing miles away. with the help of newspapers, radio stations, consumer rights group, political parties, they will raise a hell lot of noise if any supermarket tries to pull a fast one. and this can last for days till the supermarket apologise and make good their apologies. in singapore, do you see any of these? maybe just a short mention in the papers for 1 day and that’s it.


i find it more expensive to live in hong kong because people there are very $$$ face and materialistic. everything also branded and current season. so it is very difficult to say "no need to follow other people" etc cos’ that’s the culture there. poor or rich, pretty or ugly, smart or stupid, people there always judge you by the way you dress. so to get that job, that table, that school, you simply need to dress up in the smartest clothes with at least one branded stuff on you.

[WeiHan]

This expat told me that Singapore has no soul. It is like an artifially built fairy wonderland specially organised for expats and there seems to be no area that is not organised and scrubbed by the government…Hong Kong is dirtier and less organised but he just prefers it more…This expat like the food in Singapore more than Hong Kong. He loves hawker centres alot. Unlike other expats who only dine in expensive overpriced restaurants, he likes hawker centres alot. he hopes that Singaporean will one day claim back the Singapore soul…and he feels that singaporean are very nice people.