" My wife and I are considering accepting job offers to work in Hong Kong. Whilst we are almost certain that we will accept these offers (ie the chance to live and work in another country is too good to pass up) we were wondering if anyone could provide advice with the following queries: 1) the costs in $HK/relative costs (to Australia) of accommodation, food, transport etc 2) relocation costs, should we ship items from Australia to Hong Kong; 3) costs/availability of cable TV and whether they show Super 12 rugby and/or Australian rugby league (sounds trivial but important) 4) are there jogging tracks etc or does the pollution preclude you from such activities; and 5) any tips for activities to occupy ourselves with. Thanks in advance !!! Stephen "

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" Stephen, While I can''t help you with the cost ratio between HK and Australia, as I just moved here from the UK, I can answer a few of the other questions. Public transport is very inexpensive. If you get an Octopus card, you can go just about anywhere on the MTR and buses without a hassle of carrying a lot of change. Food, depending on what you like and if you are willing to eat local vegetables and meats from the ''wet'' market nearest you, is pretty inexpensive too. I can''t say much about wines and spirits as I don''t drink and haven''t a clue. Accomodations are VERY expensive if you compare dollars for floor space. I recommend going to this site for a place to start your search. http://www.hongkongcalling.com/housing1.htm I live in Discovery Bay, the expat enclave on Lantau Island (where the airport is located) and their web site is http://www.atdb.com/plaza.html Be prepared for sticker shock when you start looking at housing. Also, almost all listings are made in HK dollars, so it sounds outrageous compared to your local money. TV can be rather dismal, but you can get sports channels added on your cable and that is not all that expensive. As for sports, there are numerous clubs and sports centres for you to join that support everything from swimming to football teams. You will have to pay to do any sort of sports other than jogging in open parks etc. I wouldn''t recommend running in the smog in HK central, midlevels, or anywhere near the center of town. It isn''t as bad out at Stanley, or most areas on the other side of the island from Central, and it is even better on one of the other islands. As for being busy, HK is a cosmoplitan city that offers as much entertainment and activity as any other big city. A lot of it is in Cantonese, but the majority of events are in English as well. It all depends on what you like to do and where you want to live. When is your ETA? Welcome to the expat experience. Karron "

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" Hi Stephen, Karron has given you lots of good advice and I can''t add much to the pricing side either (except to reiterate that housing is the biggest difference... and... milk!). I also suggest that you take a look at: www.australiansabroad.com The many issues of a column called ""Hello from HK"" will give you some insight into the differences in lifestyle between HK and Australia. It''s a wonderful city and I can''t imagine leaving (we''ve been here 5 years and expect to stay at least to retirement). Enjoy! Judy Accommodating Asia...let travellers'' experiences be your guide. http://www.accomasia.com "

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