Find Your Way Around
Practicalities
A complete practical guide to living in Hong Kong.
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MTR and its names
- 27/01/2023
- Transportation
Few things stump non-locals more than the imaginative array of MTR station names, be it a random object tied to a geographical feature, a posh designation with sometimes overt colonial colours, or a phonetic transcription that straight-up doesn’t make sense to the average English speaker. Let’s explore three of the most popular MTR stations in Hong Kong and assess how their names came into being.
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Job Opportunities
- 27/01/2023
- Living & Tax
It makes sense to find a career that will help you thrive in one of the world’s most vibrant cities. Thankfully, Hong Kong companies are likely to pay top dollar for great talents, be they local or foreign.
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Early Childhood Medical Service
- 18/01/2023
- Healthcare & Welfare
It may not be all sunshine and rainbows over here, but Hong Kong has world-class support to deal with any health problems your little ones may encounter. As it should be, the health and development of children are treated with utmost importance here. The Department of Health has dedicated seven Child Assessment Centres across the city to provide assessment and remedial services for children with developmental problems.
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Physical Fitness
- 18/01/2023
- Healthcare & Welfare
With a large proportion of the Hong Kong population working in sleek office complexes (and not having much time to work out during lunch), exercise is usually done after work or on the weekends. Join them in the quest to achieve both health and wealth!
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Traditional Chinese Medicine
- 18/01/2023
- Healthcare & Welfare
If you’re looking for traditional Chinese remedies to treat illness, there are plenty of places in Hong Kong where you can try therapies such as acupuncture, cupping, and herbal remedies, plus Tui Na massage and reflexology. The first Chinese medicine hospital in Hong Kong is expected to commence service in phases starting in 2025, which will bring even more Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) options to the city.
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Pharmacies and Therapeutic Services
- 18/01/2023
- Healthcare & Welfare
Expect the best, and prepare for the worst. Emergency assistance is accessible to anyone in Hong Kong, and pharmacies are practically everywhere to cover less urgent medical needs. The bottom line is, in case of an emergency, just keep calm and dial 999. The emergency hotline will send help your way in no time.
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Smart City
- 18/01/2023
- Economic Development / Potential
Embracing innovation and technology to build a world-renowned Smart Hong Kong characterised by a strong economy and high standard of living, the Government is committed to making Hong Kong an even better place to live through initiatives ranging from more free public Wi-Fi spots to a greater number of cycle paths.
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Infrastructure Development
- 18/01/2023
- Economic Development / Potential
Hong Kong invests heavily in its infrastructure to boost connectivity locally and globally, and the city ranked third globally for quality of infrastructure in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2019. Demonstrating its continued commitment to infrastructure development, the 2022/23 budget allocated HK$84.1 billion in capital works (around 10.4 percent of the budget total) towards building an even better infrastructure for Hong Kong.
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Support to Innovation and Technology Sector
- 18/01/2023
- Economic Development / Potential
Hong Kong’s start-up ecosystem has proved attractive to many entrepreneurs, and initiatives such as StartmeupHK help fledgling businesses from overseas set up or expand in the city by making introductions and hosting networking events. Government initiatives additionally include incubation and accelerator programmes, including the FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific and SOW Asia’s i2i (“Incubation to Investment”) programme, Hong Kong’s first accelerator built exclusively for social enterprises. There are plenty of other schemes offering funding, including the SME Export Marketing Fund (EMF), Youth Development Fund, and CreateSmart Initiative (CSI).
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Museums
- 18/01/2023
- Education
Weekend pastimes can be educational and entertaining if you spend some time acquainting yourself with the city’s many museums with the family, and familiarise yourself with the place your children live in! Oh, did we mention that a LCSD museum family pass costs just HK$100, and it works year-round across most government-run museums? Here are our picks of LCSD museums to start your learning journey.
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Early Education
- 18/01/2023
- Education
Education is of paramount importance to your young child, and Hong Kong delivers a diverse selection of Early Years options from nursery to primary school.
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Beyond Classroom: Extracurricular Activities
- 18/01/2023
- Education
Extra-curricular activities are a big part of Hong Kong school life, and these provide the opportunity for children to pursue a variety of interests, be that brushing up on their language skills, learning a new instrument, getting to grips with cooking, or finding their inner Picasso in a painting class.
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Public Schools
- 18/01/2023
- Education
Hong Kong’s public schools are renowned for their students’ academic achievements thanks to a rigorous approach to learning. An international study ranked Hong Kong students among the world’s best, singling out their cognitive understanding, knowledge, and skills in the Global Competence (GC) domain in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018.
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Octopus Card
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
Nothing grinds the gears more than having to bring multiple transport cards, or worse, cash and change, to pay for travel tickets and passes. Fortunately, Hong Kong has the Octopus card, a contactless payment system that can be used for every mode of transport.
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Must Download Transportation App
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
There are a few things you can do right now to ease faster into Hong Kong life, and one of those is downloading some nifty transport apps. For every mode of transportation, there are options that can help you get directions and check traffic information. Here, we’ve compiled a short list of apps to get your travel game up in no time.
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Diversified Transportation
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
We make it easy to navigate Hong Kong. The sprawling metro network of the MTR connects almost every district of the city, and the rest is serviced by an extensive network of bus routes, ferries, and minibus services.
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International Access
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
The multi award-winning Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) is the world’s busiest cargo gateway and one of the busiest passenger airports globally: in 2019, it handled 71.5 million travellers, with 68 flights taking off every hour at peak times. Connected to about 220 destinations by more than 1,000 daily flights from over 120 airlines, it’s the primary hub for Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, plus Greater Bay Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, HK Express, and cargo carrier Air Hong Kong.
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Connecting with the Mainland
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
One of the major advantages of doing business and living in Hong Kong is its proximity to Mainland China, and the city provides easy access to the factories of Guangdong, which account for about three tenths of China’s exports and one-third of the world’s production of shoes, textiles, and toys.
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A Great Transport Hub
- 18/01/2023
- Transportation
Thanks to its strategic location, Hong Kong is regarded as a gateway to Mainland China and the rest of Asia, with many of the region’s key markets, including Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, within a four-hour reach of the city. Located in the heart of Asia-Pacific, half of the world’s population can be reached from Hong Kong within a five-hour flight. This means you can easily jet off to Bangkok or Shanghai for a weekend city break and enjoy relaxing holidays in Thailand or Bali.
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Amenities & Cost of Living
- 18/01/2023
- Living & Tax
It takes a lot to move abroad, but costs considerably less to live in Hong Kong if you are prepared. To address the elephant in the room: housing will probably take a big bite out of your pie, but it’s not as bad as you might think. The cost of living here, all things considered, is very affordable considering it’s a global financial centre.
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Nightlife in Hong Kong
- 18/01/2023
- Living & Tax
To enjoy your time in Hong Kong, embrace the spirit of Hongkongers: work hard and play harder. Many locals work late and love to drink until even later, and there are several districts worth checking out for beers, cocktails, and good times.
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A Straightforward Tax System
- 18/01/2023
- Living & Tax
Another good reason to move to Hong Kong is that it’s home to one of the lowest tax rates in the world. The territory's tax structure is straightforward and uncomplicated, with a progress rate starting at 2% and ending at 17% on net income after deducting the basic allowance of HK$132,000, or at a standard rate of 15% on net income, whichever is lower. You’ll also receive additional tax allowances if you’re married, have children, or are a single parent, and only income earned in Hong Kong is taxable in the city.
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Hong Kong Housing
- 18/01/2023
- Living & Tax
Whether you want to live in a penthouse with commanding views over Victoria Harbour or prefer the peace of an outlying island like Discovery Bay or Lamma, there are plenty of options for expats relocating to Hong Kong. Those relocating on their own may consider livelier neighbourhoods like Mid-Levels and Wanchai, while families may prefer quieter communities like Sai Kung or Lantau Island.
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Income Levels
- 18/01/2023
- Living & Tax
If you’re looking for a place where you and your family can experience a good lifestyle and enjoy a high disposable income under low tax rates, Hong Kong certainly delivers.
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Future Driven
- 28/12/2022
- Economic Developments & Potentials
Starting anew abroad is as much a bet on the destination's future as it is on one's own ability to adapt and thrive. Rest assured that in Hong Kong, your future is in good hands.
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House Hunting
- 28/12/2022
- Living & Tax
Housing probably induces the biggest headache in the process of relocation, so we've put together a few house hunting tips to help ease your pain.
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International Schools
- 28/12/2022
- Education
Hong Kong has a cosmopolitan population, and the wide variety of international schools in the city reflects that, with schools following British, American, Canadian and Singaporean curriculums among others. In the 2022/23 school year, there are 54 international schools and 7 Private Independent Schools (PISs) offering non-local curriculum in Hong Kong according to the Education Bureau.
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Open Business Environment
- 28/12/2022
- Economic Developments & Potentials
An international centre for finance, commerce and trade, Hong Kong is a major hub for investment, transportation and logistics. The city was recently recognised as one of the world's most competitive economies by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) World Competitive Yearbook 2022, which ranked Hong Kong fifth out of 63 economies.
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Multicultural
- 28/12/2022
- Economic Developments & Potentials
One factor everyone looking to relocate abroad will consider is rebuilding their social circle, be that buddies for after-work drinks to other parents you can share playdates with. After all, uprooting your life and relocating to a new city where the primary language is not English can be intimidating.
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Hospitals and Clinics
- 28/12/2022
- Healthcare & Welfare
Hong Kong boasts a world-class healthcare system. Thanks to its huge concentration of clinics, hospitals and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinics in every region and district, top-class medical facilities and highly skilled staff, it was ranked first in Asia in Bloomberg's 2018 Health Care Efficiency Index.
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Pet Friendly
- 28/12/2022
- Healthcare & Welfare
Got love for a fluffy friend? We do too. Hongkongers are crazy about pets, to the point that malls and venues dedicate zones and events to pets and their owners' mutual enjoyment. That being said, there are a few things you should know when considering adopting a pet here, or bringing yours over: