but surprise!!

perhaps its cos of e 10+% depreciation of HKD, things are affordable if not cheaper than sg!!

okay, NOT ALL things are cheaper..

the followings are cheaper..

NOTE: exchange rate now is approx S$1=HKD6.20

1. ALCOHOL!!!!

reminds me of tioman siah!!!

2 330ml of San Migel is HKD 12.90

so tempted to substitute water with alcohol.. =P

2. Bus/Tram ride..

So long as you stay within Kowloon or Hong Kong Island (meaning don't need to use the underground tunnel), it is cheap..

seems like all buses run on a flat fare

Tram ride (no air con) is HKD 2

Normal bus (similar to SBS buses but with BETTER seats) for the one i took is HKD3.40 but it is limited to within HK island. Haven tried e bus ride within Kowloon so no info on that.

3. Fastfood!!

a McChicken burger in sg cost S$2, the same thing cost HKD8!

McValue lunch in sg starts from S$4.50, it is HKD20 in HK!! even cheaper than KL!!

What's more! MacD even have McValue Dinner in HK everyday from 6-8pm at the same price!! >.<

no wonder while i were there, one of e South China Morning Post headlines is about how undervalued HKD & RMB are right now and that HK and China serve the cheapest MacD in the world!

now i regretted not even having a burger in HK...

4. Bubble Tea

Pricing is similar to Taiwan..

Ranges from HKD 12 to 18 for a big cup

& one cute thing, I can't find KOI aka 50嵐 in HK..

5. Perfumes!!

PLS PLS PLS don't get your perfume in HKIA duty free stores..

"Rumours" that you can get a better deal in the streets of HK is indeed TRUE!!

Check out the prices at the airport first and then go Sasa and/or Bonjour to compare the prices.. Price differentials can be as high as 30 to 40%!!!

agrees with what a Sales Asst told me, "You'll regret if you didn't get a bottle of perfume back"

6. Dim Sum!!!
needless to say, since HK is the home to dim sum..

had a realli good serving of dim sum at a popular restaurant in Mongkok and e bill only come up to be S$10 per pax!

& during the session, i ordered a tasty big bowl of sesame paste for only HKD6.80 =D

7. Skincare pdts/Comestics!

Referring to drugstore brands (the kind you will find in Wastons/Sasa etc).

The Jap brands can be 30-40% cheaper.

2 good examples are Hada Labo and Madom Cleaning Express Cleanser Range (Makeup Remover)

As for comestics, as i didn't intend to get them, i didn't do much homework prior to going over.. but the impression i get is it is 10 to 20% cheaper...

8. Branded Goods

Agnes B, Longchamp, Kate Spade and Burberry are cheaper.
From the ones i've looked at - about 10% cheaper.

& there are brands not available in sg eg Jill Stuart

9. Haircut!!!

A colour job can be just HKD120

& another salon is advertising cut&wash+colour+rebond for just HKD299!!!

wasted i din have enough time.... ='(

10. Cab fare after midnight
NO 50% surcharge!! =D

The following category is on par with sg price level

1. Clothings

if you go Mongkok and Causeway Bay, not very different from sg..

Mongkok is abit like Bugis Street/Far East Plaza but i feel the quality is better..

The pricing at Causeway Bay is higher but personally i feel it is reasonable given the quality.

Alternative for cheaper clothing: GO Shenzhen!!! (but must REALLY bargain HARD)

What is MORE exp in HK

1. Food

i think e food centres (or more fondly known as hawker centres) in sg is one of a kind in e world tt sells cheap food.

The cheapest food i can find in the 茶餐廳 is maggie mee served with egg/luncheon meat/chicken and price starts from HKD20.

Other dishes (for one pax only) ranges from HKD 30 to 50..

& extra charged will be incurred if you asked for iced water..

For warm water (which is essentially hot/boiling =.=''), it is FOC - but it's better to clarify

2. Shoes

now i understand why Peggy always buy shoes back to HK whenever she comes back to SG..

don't get it why they are pretty exp down there, esp if the shoes are imported from China.

If you think that Charles & Keith is getting exp, wait till you see e prices in HK.
But fret not, there's always Shenzhen to go.. heh..

3. Bags
Just like shoes, you are going to be disappointed if you are the kind who usu spend S$50 on a bag bought from a departmental store..
Or perhaps i didn't look hard enough?
Even in Shenzhen, i cant manage to find bags tt appeals to me in both design & price..
Or perhaps i shd say im really hard pressed for time in Shenzhen to look around..

These are just the categories which i notice..
i heard tt electronics esp Apple products are cheaper too tho i didn't find out..
well the rest is up to you to explore! hee..

now just some food for thought...

Q1: how did the HK govt manage to balance its budget when the goods are all tax free (no import duties, GST etc) and its personal income tax + corporate tax rate is lower than SG?
A: over-reliance on property tax..

Q2: Why is it that the transport companies can keep fares low while maintaining high frequency of bus/trains??
A: I need to do searching liao.. haha


so how does HK compare to Taiwan?
hmm...
Food, shoes and bags are cheaper in TW.. tho i must say the quality of the bags bought in TW night markets is not very good..
Clothings is cheaper in TW as well but more towards causal wear..
skincare pdts/comestics shd be more or less on par
alcohol & perfume definitely more exp as TW is not tax free..
& you can find more Jap magazines in TW.. lolz
the rest i'm not too sure..


so will i go back to HK?
a definite YES!
cos i haven't
1. cover all the famous night markets/streets
2. go from 中環 to 半山腰 via escalators
3. had enough of dim sum + desserts + bubble tea + fast food
4. club the whole night at Lan Kwai Fong
5. go to 黃大仙 temple
6. travel to Macau
7. get my hair done there
8. shop & drink enough!!! ;p



however, it is not a trip without hiccups for me..
this is what happen:
Day 1: My luggage lock was damaged the moment i arrived at HK + was assigned to a smoking level at the hotel..

Day 2: Got scalded during dim sum brekkie cos this big size guy just bulged in between me & Joe with his hot kettle to refill the teapot and my left hand was in contact with tt kettle and in knee jerk response, i spill the hot tea (i was holding e teacup with my left hand) to my right hand + lost my ticket for the Lantau Island cable car ride

Day 3: Found myself alone in HK Island as i need to go back to hotel to settle my luggage (while most others are shopping in Mongkok) + board the wrong bus when on e way back to my hotel from Causeway Bay such tt im way over shot..

Day 4: Screwed schedule partly due to Day 3 which leads to super intense travelling for me + miss the last MRT in Shenzhen + lost RMB10 in the cab (luckily its not SGD)

Day 6: Bus driver drove off from Terminal 1 without noticing tt me & SL were still trying to push our luggage to the exit door + while on the flight, a Chinese couple asked me why i adjusted my seat backwards & subsequently asked the air stewardess to 'persuade' me not to do so..


only peaceful day is day 5..
first time i encounter this much of suay/無奈/sian diao/weird incidents..
luckily these didn't dent my mood & i really enjoyed myself.. =)

look out for the photos!!
shd be up before i go Tioman