Singapore vs Hong Kong

[TinyPop]

An opportunity to move to either SG or HK has just come up so trying to weigh up in my mind the pros and cons for each. We have DC of primary age so that's a huge factor.

We are set to visit first, but before that I wonder if anyone can help in our decision. I'm still massively confused about it all as it's now a definite possibility and we don't have that much time really to decide - 1 or 2 months possibly.

Things I'd like to know about:

• schools (I've seen 2 other threads mentioning some SG schools but not in HK so far)
• things to do with small children
• ex pat community
• outdoor spaces
• have you found it easy to build up a social circle?
• are you learning Mandarin/Cantonese? Is it a struggle to live in either not to have any knowledge at first?

It's been mentioned to me that SG might be a better place to go with a young family, but instinctively I thought HK sounded more culturally interesting to me, and with more to do/explore.

Any help much appreciated!

Do a search on here first as there are loads of threads about Singapore and HK and the general living.

We are in Singapore and it is very child friendly, loads of expats, lots of outdoor space (although its very hot and humid!). Kids are learning Mandarin at school, but you don't need it here to live as English is the first language spoken generally.

Have friends who lived in HK who preferred it, and vice versa, all down to personal choice I guess!

Thanks Papooshka.
I'll have a look for older threads but any new posts/experiences to share much appreciated.

As far as achools are concerned, HK is worse. Not only are the waitlists long but they are selective too from year 2.
There is a debenture system to get through the hoops so might be worth finding out if your employer has one in place.
Thats your main hurdle.

We've done both and love both. Sg in my opinion is best suited to very young families.
There is an edge to HK which makes it more appealing. Sg is very provincial whilst HK is a beach resort/vibrant happening scene and a chinese city all crammed into one.
Suits different temperaments, or like for us, different stages in your family life.

Hk remains more expensive on tge property front and you get less space overall.
In sg, the heat and humidity is year round and being outdoors means being in the pool or playong tennis in the evening.
In Hk there are seasons and more to do outdoors ( hiking/ boating etc...)

What age are your children? Both places will have a mind blowing selection of after school activities.

I also live in SG with young kids and enjoy it. One thing you may wish to consider in the mix is relative air quality - although SG had the haze a few months ago, we generally have good air quality. This was a big negative for us for HK with young kids, especially as one experienced several asthma attacks in the UK (but has been fine in SG).

Thanks Master - the debenture system is one to go on my list.
Would you recommend any areas in HK that are commutable to the centre? I get the impression commuting might be a bit of a nightmare?
Am I right in thinking HK would be less car friendly for the family to get out and about in? We have one DC who is in Y1, as well as toddler & baby - what do you know about activities/social groups for those age groups? Sorry, you don't have to answer all of those questions!

Thanks Salted, I've seen you over on another thread. Luckily we don't have any problems with asthma, but it's still an important point, having 3 small children.

Hong Kong is more interesting and vibrant but Singapore is easier with young kids. There's more to do, you can park everywhere, you will get a school place, just maybe not your first choice ( in Hk there is a risk of no school place), air quality is better, rents are lower, shopping is better. Only real downside is it all feels a bit suburban.

Are you going to be working? Hk seems to have a higher proportion of working mums and more of a helper culture so very hands on SAHMs sometimes get pissed off with being the only mum at parks/ Gymboree etc. however there are hands-on sahm's. you just need to find them

I live in Hk and have 2 dc who are 3 and 1. We are very settled but if I was starting from now I'd probably choose Singapore.

Re kids activities there is a staggering number of baby groups, toddler groups, music classes, soccer classes, gym classes, mandarin classes, swim classes etc. in HK. It is also usual for kids to be in pre-school 5x half days from the age of 3, sometimes earlier.

Hey Tiny, HK vs Sg is a bit like NY vs LA ( or they wish!)
Both are very cool and extremely comfortable on an expat package.
Bottom line is suburban vs city? What matters to you? Once schools are secured, kids will be hapy!

But just to add, if you're not on an expat package (rent, flights home, club, school fees etc) it can still work - the majority of non-US expats in HK are now on local packages, BUT do your homework to make sure it still works out financially (e.g taxes are low but rents are high, food is expensive but taxis are cheap). The other factor is that if you're a 2 income family, childcare is very cheap (gbp500/month, live in, full time) and that can be a big benefit vs. UK.

Thanks so much Master and RichMan for your posts - really helpful - we have decided to ditch HK and concentrate on SG as it seems to be the better family option by far. HK would have been a no-brainer if we didn't have kids but their needs come first. We still haven't decided though, and it's pending a trip out there, but at least we can focus on one place and hopefully a full week there will give us enough time to weigh it all up. I will update once there is more news!

Hi Tinypop, looks like you're getting closer to decision time!
Like you I'm really keen to get out to SG for our visit in a months time to get our heads around it all. I'll report back on our first impressions!
Good luck with the research and planning x