Discover Hong Kong

Want to move to Hong Kong?

Hong Kong is a truly international city, its skyscrapers filled with professionals from across the world. It's home to many major financial and professional services firms, each keen to attract talent. With a global community and modern feel, most expats find it easy to settle in.

If you want to take advantage of all Hong Kong has to offer, it's helpful to have a ‘work hard, play hard’ attitude. Expats looking to manage their money are often impressed by higher salaries and high quality of life as well as how they can progress their careers. And when it's time to take a break, Hong Kong is also a perfect base to explore the rest of Asia.

Working in Hong Kong

There are excellent career development opportunities in a safe and interesting region with a lot of scope to save money and to travel.

Hong Kong is a global financial centre offering numerous opportunities for expats. The region's evolution from a fishing port to a financial hub has made it a nexus of Eastern and Western interests. Its advanced infrastructure, highly educated workforce, commitment to free competition, and robust financial networks attract multinational corporations. The local business culture is conservative and values punctuality, professional dressing, and mutual respect. Business languages include Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and translators may be needed. Standard business hours run from 09:00 to 17:00, with formal attire expected. Business card exchanges and gifts at meetings are part of the norms. Expats, particularly in finance and executive roles, can anticipate high salaries, often inclusive of housing allowances and medical insurance. Expats value the region's excellent career development opportunities, safety, and potential for savings and travel.

Tax in Hong Kong

Explore life in Hong Kong

What's on your moving abroad checklist? We break down the essentials including salaries, education and accommodation in Hong Kong to help you prepare.

The standard of housing is high, but luxury doesn’t come cheap. Rented apartments are the most common place to live and most housing is unfurnished. Families favour the southern part of Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Peninsula where there’s more space and good schools. Lantau Island is also popular among expats as it’s quieter than the bustling city centre. Accommodation is cheaper the further you are from the city centre, but you’ll have a longer commute.

Housing will be your biggest expense and food and groceries are generally expensive, as much of the produce is imported. Western-style bars and restaurants also tend to be pricey but public transport is cheap, clean and reliable, so you probably won’t need a car.

Education is taken seriously in Hong Kong, with the school year running from September to July. Most children, including many expats, attend government-funded public schools. If you're on a temporary visa, you may have to pay fees for these. Although private schools advertise in English, most classes are conducted in Cantonese – so do some research before committing. There are also international schools in Hong Kong that follow British, American and Australian courses.

Medical care is expensive, so make sure you have comprehensive healthcare insurance. Private hospitals often charge more than public ones, but offer a better service and shorter waiting times. Residents are entitled to subsidies for Hong Kong’s public healthcare system but others have to pay fees similar to those charged by private hospitals. Air quality is a health concern and people with asthma and chronic respiratory disease may have aggravated symptoms. Pharmacies are widely-available and open 7 days a week but prescriptions from other countries aren’t accepted, so you’ll need to get one from a local doctor.

It's easy to get around Hong Kong using public transport. The city’s metro, the MTR, is the most popular mode of transport. Buses aren’t as crowded, but they can be slow in peak traffic. Travelling by boat is essential if you live in areas such as Discovery Bay or Lamma Island. Taxis are relatively cheap but not all drivers speak English, so it’s a good idea to have your destination written down in Chinese.

Should you get an offshore bank account?

An offshore account can be useful for expats looking to keep some money in a central location, rather than one specific country or region.

Our Expat Bank Account is an offshore account that comes with a range of benefits, including:

A Global Money Account - Make quick and easy payments across borders.
Relationship manager - Someone to help you and your family manage your money.
Online and on mobile - Manage your banking, FX and investments wherever, whenever.

You can set your account up in USD, EUR or GBP and you can hold it alongside accounts in the country you're leaving or the one you're moving to.

Explore Expat Bank Account

Top tips

Here's what expats have told us about living in Hong Kong.

Make sure you have sufficient cash for the large deposit required to rent a property - around 3.5 months up front to include the deposit, a months rent in advance and the agent’s fee.

English-speaking schools are extremely difficult to get into. You need to discuss this with your employees/organise it well in advance of arriving.

Don’t underestimate the cost of living in a lower tax jurisdiction! Accommodation, healthcare, education and transport can cost significantly more than you think!

What is offshore banking?

Discover how offshore bank accounts can help you manage your international finances.

Your financial action plan

Looking to build better financial future abroad? Discover our plan to help you get there.

Guide to moving abroad

Read our 10-step guide to moving abroad to make sure you've got everything covered.

Additional information

All Expat Explorer survey data, including the tips in quotation marks, is provided by HSBC.

All other content is provided by expatarrivals.com, Globe Media Ltd and was last updated in July 2023. HSBC accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

This information is purely for orientation and to inspire further research, it does not constitute advice and no liability is accepted to recipients acting independently on its contents. The views expressed are subject to change.

Always remember to ensure you're aware of and comply with any laws in your host country or country of origin that apply to gift giving and bribery.

Want to move to Hong Kong?

Working in Hong Kong

Explore life in Hong Kong

Accommodation in Hong Kong

Cost of living in Hong Kong

Education in Hong Kong

Healthcare in Hong Kong

Getting around in Hong Kong

Should you get an offshore bank account?

Top tips

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What is offshore banking?

Your financial action plan

Guide to moving abroad

Additional information

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