There’s an expression that says, “A Hong Kong second is a New York minute”, suggesting that Hong Kong’s pace is faster than New York’s. After spending a week in one of the most densely populated and energetic areas in the world, I completely agree.

Truthfully, out of all the places I’ve been to so far, HK is the #1 spot I would seriously consider moving to. Yes, it even beats Cape Town and Tokyo. Cape Town is great for many reasons, but the lack of safety concerns me. And as much as I love Tokyo (and the rest of Japan for that matter), it lacks a work / social life balance; it’s all work and no play. You are identified by your company and position, and hobbies and entrepreneurs are not welcomed. It’s also hard to excel without knowing Japanese.

In HK, not only do you have a similar exotic element, as locals speak Cantonese, but

  • There is a huge expat community, so you don’t need to learn Cantonese
  • The social and sports scene is enormous and awesome. I didn’t partake in many evening pleasantries, as it’s very expensive, but I felt the overwhelming energy walking the streets
  • It’s incredibly dense, with over 100 more skyscrapers than Manhattan, and yet it’s easily walk-able and public transportation is cheap. The city actually feels like a cross between NYC and the city in the movie The 5th Element
  • Take a 30 minute subway ride and you’re either at the beach or in nature, among some wonderful hiking trails
  • There are dozens of nearby islands, each with their own personality. I did a day tour to Macau, which I’ll discuss in my next post
  • People seem more interesting, as it takes a certain character to live here. They are generally beautiful and physically fit too
  • For people aged 30 to 45, there are 10 women for every 6.8 men. To point, on an expat personals website, there are 351 “Men seeking woman” and 387 “Women seeking men”
  • There are tons of great food and dessert options, from eastern to western cuisines. One of my best dinners was at Jamie Olivier’s restaurant
  • It’s extremely safe, so you can walk anywhere alone, even at night

Since no city is perfect, there are some downsides

  • Housing is extremely expensive; in a decent area, it costs over $2,000 CAD (or 1400 EUR) per month for a 400 sq foot  (or 38 sq meter) apartment
  • Like NYC, summers get extremely humid; even the late spring weather was rough, and I had to shower twice daily
  • It’s a transitional city, which means expats usually don’t stay for long. Thus it’s feasible to stay for several years, but you wouldn’t want to raise a family here

Given all this, I loved this vibrant city. It felt like anything was possible.