Compare Hong Kong and Singapore?

[resis]

For the sake of others who might search on this topic, here are the comments from discussants at expathonkong.com:

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I live in Shanghai and the majority of Hongkongers I met there had the sad attitude of putting down other Asian nationalities and cities, Shanghai and Singapore being among their favourites. They compared things that are trivial to the extend of being childish, as you had. I find this interesting in that it points to the mentality of a people as a whole, like Hongkongers having over-inflated egos, but only as a natural result of having low self-esteem and insecurity. I remembered you posting a number of trivial questions about Singapore before you went there as if you were really excited about it(yeah, right!). But I just knew that this is coming, even before you made that trip. I knew Hongkongers like you too well. As a final word, it does not reflect well on Hongkong or Hongkongers for people like you to carry such an attitude everywhere you go.

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Singapore :

- Clean
- Well thought out town planning
- Everyone speaks English (except a few at Hawker Centres)
- Food not as fresh, especially noodles/seafood
- Maybe not as innovative/risk taking as HK people
- Aircon not as strong in Shopping Centres etc
- Retains it's colonial buildings
- Slower pace of life
- lots of trees, but flat landscape
- Can take weekend trips to Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand etc
- Can be an interesting place to stay and work. There are things to do i.e. cycling, clubs, roller skating, parks, water sports etc

Hong Kong

- Can be quite Dirty (Mongkok etc)
- People speaks English but not very well
- Aircon blasts like UK Winter (lovely)
- Lots of hiking trails, Water sports, clubs, etc
- Food is usually very fresh and very good but not usually spicy etc (Cantonese)
- Cramped feeling
- Can be polluted. Hazy skies etc
- Landscape is hilly, interesting
- Can escape to quiet places like NT, South HK Island, Outlying Islands

Conclusion:

I like Hong Kong very much because of it's vibrancy. I like the feeling that you are allowed to set up businesses with less hassles, jump through less hoops etc. It seems alot more exciting than Singapore maybe because of the fast pace and people.

In Singapore, there is the occassional feeling that you need to check with higher authorities before things can get done. But it's clean, the people are great, and the food not bad. It's a great place to bring up kids. It's safe and there are still places I have not seen.

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I come from London, which is bigger, colder, and more interesting than Singapore will ever be - but Singapore is still a great place to live, which is why I'm still here.

The media climate is abysmal - the Straits Pravda in particular is the single worst advert for Singapore you'll ever come across. I look longingly at the SCMP, and thank God for my Economist subscription.

But Singapore is a uniquely modern tropical city: nice climate, very green city (though not the green paradise the Singapore Tourist Board likes to pretend), with a all the vibrancy you would expect from such a multicultural city.

The Chinese in Singapore are distinctly Southeast Asian - even if this unique identity is eroding as the government tries to grab Shanghai's coat tails.

Many Singaporeans are conservative in *how* they think, as well as what they think. But there are also a lot of creative people here, and I think that Singaporeans are (very slowly) learning to think for themselves. At the same time Singaporeans are amongst the most eccentric bunch of people you'll ever come across - every taxi ride is a journey into the bizarre.

And if you want a relaxing, safe place to while away weekends with your friends and family, Singapore is an urban idyll: glorious food, reliable weather, pubs, clubs, parks, beaches, airconditioning.

I've been to Hong Kong numerous times, and it is undoubtedly the most beautiful cityscape in the world - New York, only with mountains. It's a great city, but I don't speak Cantonese - and since I enjoy nattering with the people in whose country I live, Singapore wins for me.

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I've lived in both HK and Singapore, now living in Singapore. While I love HK and miss it alot, I think that for your family set up Singapore is a better bet. Apart from the fact that there is less pollution (HK is pretty bad now), you can afford to rent a house or big apartment in Sg for the same price as a small apartment in HK. With a child I think the lifestyle here is easier. Having said that, the price of a car here is crippling and at least you can afford a car in HK. Also most of my friends have kids in HK and the kids are really happy. The salary is much higher as well which is always a good thing.

But if you (a) are getting a company car or (b) can live without one, I would go for Singapore, its all year round summer, kids in pool everyday, nice outdoor restaurants to go to, lots of places to springboard to, Singaporeans are much more friendly than HK'ers and the English here is great. Singlish is fun and vibrant!

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I lived in SP for 3 years before moving to HK in March 2002. I don't have any kids. Me and my husband prefer HK. I enjoyed my time in SP but the only things that I miss are:

a) I liked the blinding heat although HK weather is good too.
b) Singapore is a better place to be if you like traveling to Malaysia, Indonesia etc. In Singapore I felt more like I was on holiday.
c) I like everything smothered in chilli sauce and I miss chicken rice.
d) Can't think of any more.
e) I had a big house.

Why do I prefer HK.
a) HK is much more sociable - I have met some fantastic friends here - not like the plastic expats I met in SP.
b) I love cruising around in my new sports car with the hood down.
c) I have more respect for HK people (no offence intended)
d)There are much more things to do in HK than Singapore.
e) Some things are a lot cheaper - e.g. the markets etc selling branded goods.
f) HK has more culture.

Saying that though after about 3 years here if I had kids etc. I wold like to move back to SP and livein a big house again. But for the moment Ido prefer HK. I have found that those who lived it up in SP and then came to HK had it tough and the same for those who lived it up in HK find it hard to fit into SP. I suppose you can't have the best of luck in both places.

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As far as I can see, it depends on how you like to live. Singapore is less vibrant but still a lot of fun, safe, warm, green, fab food, nice people, easier to get to know the locals, easy to get around, cheaper housing, expensive cars, no pollution (except from Indo fires), loads of palces to walk, East Coast and Sentosa but these tend to have lots more people use it than the HK equivalent. Easy to get to most of Asia, everything next door really.

HK is vibrant, safe, warm most of the year except for Jan/Feb (brrr), HK'ers are a tough but interesting people, cars are cheap, apartmetns are expensive, and you have loads of places to walk, dramatic beautiful scenery, great beaches. Girlie shopping is blood marvellous I must say, with the markets and Shenzen(!) over the border, fab.

I find both have about the same equivalent of plastic people, esp. ex pat wives!!! But for me the clincer is the pollution. Its awful in HK, and you will spend most of your time with a sore throat. If you do go to HK, dont live facing Victoria Harbour, go over the hill to the other side of HK island, or Stanley or Pok Fulam, Shek O, or go to teh mainland, Sai Kung, Clearwater Bay...

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I have relatives in Singapore and went there twice. My hubby was a little interested in emigrating there. But I never liked the idea!!! Hey, HK is small already and why should I move to an even smaller place with less freedom (at least then!)?

I don't know too much about Singapore. To me, with or without kids, I like fun and freedom. Even now after 1997, I think we have these two still more than Singapore.

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Singapore may be small compared to Hong Kong, but considering that Hong Kong's population is concentrated in high density around flat areas it makes Hong Kong smaller than Singapore by comparison. Singapore is basically flat, and this means there is more room for people to spread out. You can see this by the typical accomodation which is far larger than HK, when looking at the same type of accomodation (cost etc). If you see the roads in Singapore, they are alot wider and there are alot more trees in the city areas.

Freedom, now this is can be a touchy subject. Yup, agree that there is a lack of supposed "freedom" in Singapore. Many things ranging from political speech to starting a business would mean you have to go through red tape. But for most people, me included, it ain't really gonna affect you in a significant way. In reality, other than the odd censorship of films, you're hardly gonna to notice it. Maybe I have been here too long?

What I can say about Hong Kong is that it is indeed a vibrant city and if we had the best of Hong Kong and Singapore in the same place, that would be the best place to live!

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To the point:
I currently live in Hong Kong, and honestly I don't know too much about Singapore but i know a lot of people in there... Hong Kong is dirty, people have no manners (they fart, burp, spit, litter and so on in the public), it's definately more people per square metre here, and it is a economy turndown... Things are getting worse every day that passes. Unless you're a rich person, because then you wouldn't see much changes as you would only go the the very nice and expensive places.  But for normal people, Hong Kong is a horrible place I would say.

What I know about Singapore...
People are much cleaner, nicer to talk to, the english levels are WAY better, the place itself is MUCH cleaner and the economy is very stable compared to Hong Kong.

I would move to Singapore right away if I had the chance! And I'm not known for giving up easily.  But if you get a expat package... come here and enjoy life (can you see if there are any positions in your company for me too... hehehe)

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Resis

[Fed Up Expat]

Singapore sucks! HK rocks! And not just because I was born in HK. I used to live in New York City for years, loved very min of it. As Jerry Seinfield said once, if he could choose to live in another city other than NY, it would be HK.

I don't care you whinners or sour grapes out there all complained about HK being dirty or polluted, or crowded. HELLO! Have you seen Orchard road on a weekend in the evening? It's DIRTY, and just as CROWDED there and what about the haze here!

And not to mention 24/7 like 100F!!!! I had to give up all my cool leather jackets and boots since I moved to SG, and speaking of fashion, there's no fashion sense whatsoever in SG compared to HK. At least in HK, there is a seasonal change there, you can wear some cool clothes at different times of the year.

In SG, it's like tank top and sandals, let's see how many variety of tank tops and sandles I can wear all year long??!!

And food wise, there is a whole variety and price range of food offered in HK, unlike SG, everything is spicy and just put that chili or weird coconut sweet Singapore SE asian flavor on, even pizza!

And bugs, bugs, bugs, gekkos, mosquitoes, even ants in SG are like some mutant size from science fiction.

And pleeze, rent here is not that much cheaper anymore than HK.

And if you are a real city person like I am and can't afford a car, ( oh yes, car also costs more than HK)be prepared for long wait for a taxi. IN HK, you can hail a cab in 15min max and MTR there is so convenient and reaches far more places than the crappy MRT system in SG.

Also, to get from point A to point B in SG, it's like being in Kansas, vast wasteland in between while in HK, you can get from point A to Point B in most downtown areas in 15 min by walking, not to mention more interesting shops and restaurants to window shop or to stop by.

And bar scene, come on, so much better there. I must say, even expats in HK dress smarter and act cooler than in SG. I have lived in American long enough and because I am married to an American too so I guess I am an expat in SG too, but seriously, I found the ones in HK much more interesting to hang with.

Yup, call me a snob, but HK hands down much more cosmopolitan and convenient and fun city to live when compared to SG. And I don't have kids now and in my 40s, so I don't need to party all night long but I still find SG make me feel comatose most of the time while when in HK, I am energized instantly. Even the people who work there are more efficient and more flexible.

When people complained about HK people unfriendly, well, I have met some rude chip on the shoulder Singaporeans too and bloody greedy make money lah landlords! I think it's part of their inferior complex. I asked people I know from HK that have moved to SG, most said they prefer to move back to HK, whne I asked my Singaporean friends who live in HK now, none want to move back to SG! That said sth....

Anyway, I always tell people HK is like NY, Singapore is like LA, so I guess I am a die hard New Yorker who will never move to LA, been there before, hate it! And that's my two cents of opiniin! If not because my stupid husband's job is based in Singapore and I like to keep my marriage, I would never move to this place. And job market here sucks, for dependents like us, govt restrictions here make it very hard to get a good job here. I had a job in HK in media that made over USD70,000 a year, here in SG, as Tony Soprano would say, "fuggabboutit"!

To be fair, it's a lovely city to visit for about 3 days once in a blue moon, otherwise, if you love to live in a real vibrant city life even with kids, do not move to Singapore. I am counting days that I could either move back to HK or move back to NY eventually.

[Hear Hear!]

PP, totally agree!  I'm European, so I think of HK/SG as London/Frankfurt.  One in 'world city' leagues and the other a provincial hub. 

Don't get me wrong, I like Singapore, we chose to be here because of the pollution in HK, but HK is an amazing place, especially for families.  I moved here knowing that it was going to hot and humid, so cannot complain about that.  I never saw a rat in HK, but they seem to be everywhere here.

HK can be all things to all people, whether young, free and single single or married with children.  The pollution is a deal breaker though; just couldn't continue to risk the childrens' health.  If they get that MAJOR issue sorted, we'll be back.

[to Fed Up Expat]

R u for real?  This post is from 5 years ago.  Start a new one complaining about Singapore or keep it to yourself.  The grass is always greener.  Sigh!

By the way, I'd rather live in Kansas than have to go back to HK!  Love the comment about the food here.  You don't get out much, do you?!  Please, go back to HK!  You sound like a child.

[Vulcanl]

Fed up & Hear Hear,

Good Bye and best of luck to you.

[Good argument]

..Vulcanl. Someone has a different point of view so you tell them to go away.

I managed to get my son to desist from that method of arguing.

When he was 5....

 

[you missed the point]

PP.  Someone who resurrects a posting from 5 years ago starting with Singapore Sucks! should start a new posting with perhaps a bit more to add than whinging and it smacks of immaturity. 
Go back to HK then! 

Here is a snippet from the last posting of 03 and it describes Fedup Expat to a tee:

'I live in Shanghai and the majority of Hongkongers I met there had the sad attitude of putting down other Asian nationalities and cities, Shanghai and Singapore being among their favourites. They compared things that are trivial to the extend of being childish, as you had. I find this interesting in that it points to the mentality of a people as a whole, like Hongkongers having over-inflated egos, but only as a natural result of having low self-esteem and insecurity.'

[Good argument]

YMTP - I agree that the OPs post is immature and whining, but does that mean that we have to bring ourselves down to their level?

In reality, I don't think anyone cares who prefers HK, NY, Singapore or London, we are all grown-ups ( ) and should be able to make up our own minds.

It just strikes me as odd how quickly any discussion on this b o a r d reverts to playground mentality - an observation, that's all.

Have a good one.

[CSB]

We moved to Singapore after 14 years in HK When Singapore govt. offered PR to HK residents.

Woah - hold up, I never got that memo... !
Does anyone know if Singapore still offers PR to Hong Kong residents?
I'd be ever grateful for any comments.

Thanks!

[fact is]

someone decided to revive a post from 5 plus years ago for the sake of whining about how bad Singapore is... what's the point?