What to know before you go
Register for your HKID within 30 days — it's the master key
CriticalAnyone staying over 180 days must register for a Hong Kong Identity Card within 30 days of arrival — it's a legal duty, not optional. The HKID gates almost everything: subsidised public healthcare, opening a local bank account, signing a tenancy, employer onboarding. Book the Immigration Department appointment early (slots fill weeks out). Without it you're treated like a non-resident — for hospital care that's the difference between HK$400 and HK$2,100 at A&E.
Tax is famously low and territorial — but there's no PAYE and a year-one 'provisional tax' shock
ImportantHong Kong taxes only HK-source income; there's no capital-gains, dividend, sales or estate tax. Salaries tax is the lower of progressive 2-17% (after a ~HK$132,000 allowance) or the 15% standard rate. The catch: nothing is withheld from your pay — you get a lump-sum bill months later, and your FIRST bill bundles last year's tax PLUS a provisional prepayment of next year's, so it can feel like ~1.75x. Park 15-20% of gross from day one.
Public healthcare is world-class and nearly free with an HKID — but waits are long
ImportantHospital Authority care for HKID holders is among the best-value on earth (post-Jan-2026 reform: A&E HK$400, a GP visit HK$150, an acute bed HK$300/day, all capped at HK$10,000/person/year). The trade-off is long waits for non-urgent specialist and elective care, so most professional expats also carry private insurance (often employer-provided, or a VHIS-certified plan that earns a tax deduction). Emergency number is 999.
Get an Octopus, skip the car — transit is world-class and driving is on the LEFT
ImportantOne Octopus card taps you onto the spotless MTR, the double-decker trams ('ding ding', HK$3 flat), the Star Ferry, buses and minibuses, and pays at every 7-Eleven. The MTR reaches almost everywhere. Car ownership is brutally expensive (first-registration tax + HK$3,000-6,000/mo parking), so most residents never drive. Note Hong Kong drives on the left, and Uber sits in a legal grey area — licensed taxis are the norm.
Rent is the world's most brutal — flats are tiny and pricey
Good to knowHousing is Hong Kong's defining cost: a small central flat runs HK$18,000-32,000/month, and 'cosy' often means 300-450 sq ft. Most newcomers trade space for location, or move to Kowloon and the New Territories for more room per dollar. Two-year leases with two months' deposit are standard, and agency fees (typically half a month) apply. Budget hard, and lean on the superb transit to live further out.
Subtropical and storm-prone — learn the typhoon signals
Good to knowSummers (May-Sep) are hot, intensely humid and wet; typhoon season runs roughly May-November. When the Observatory hoists a Typhoon Signal No. 8 (or a black rainstorm warning), the whole city shuts — offices close, transport stops, and you stay in. It's a real rhythm of HK life. Winters are mild and dry. Flats run aircon hard; humidity and mould are worth checking when renting.