office at wanchai.. where to live?

[thefirstday]

this will be my first time in HK and I have no iea about the geography nor the price level.
since my prospective office seems to be located at Wanchai, i'd prefer to be close to the office, preferably 10-15 min walk or within 20-30 min easy public transportation..

which would be some good areas for a single woman to live in? i wouldn't earn a lot, so for about around 700 sq ft, where would be the reasonably priced yet close place to search for? (is finding a place at wanchai something crazy and totally unafforadable??) also, how much do you think i should expect the monthly rent to be? (average.. and minimum..)

also theres one more question.. i've been trying to search online sites but came across this baffling problem.. why is 'mid-story' or 'lower-story' and such and such so important in HK? any real reasons??

[larac]

Standard advice is to book yourself into a serviced apartment for at least a month when you first get here so your costs are fixed and you can look around a bit. The cost of apartments varies wildly and you are best starting the search once you are here.

A 15-20 minute walk could kill you in summer, at the very least you will arrive at work drenched - not ideal.

Wan Chai is on lots of bus routes, the main HK tube line and the tram line so getting to work from where you choose to live will be easy and taxis are dirt cheap even if you do it every day. HK$15 is the flag fall and takes you 2km.

The reference to storey can mean a few things. Older buildings are Walk ups - ie: no lift so you don't want to be too high. HK is full of really tall buildings so the higher up you go then generally the view gets better and the noise less or you could get vertigo. Just look when you get here. Even in one building every apartment can have quite a different feel,decor, outlook.

[discobay]

Definately the serviced apartment idea is the recommended route. Parts of Wanchai can be very noisy at night and then there is the temptation to start work early and go home late if you live just down the road - maybe you like that though.

[ct1]

You usually pay more the higher you go which I am guessing is because of 3 things:

1) light (lots of apartment buildings packed together in HK means the lower the floor the less light the apartment will be).
2) Noise ...lots of busy roads means lots of traffic noise
3) View...if you do have an apartment with a view then it is probably better the higher you get.

In terms of a single woman living alone then I would not want to live in Wanchai (I am sure you will get lots of other replies from single woman saying how great it is). Personally it is fun for drinking in a big group but it is pretty seedy otherwise. Wanchai is very central and easy to get to. I lived there for a while in a serviced apartment and never felt comfortable walking around in the evening. There are probably OK parts but I am not sure where those are.

Best places as far as I have seen are definitely Happy Valley, Mid-levels and some quieter parts of Causeway Bay. Rents vary hugely from $5-$50k and more. If you want to live in these areas then expect to pay a minimum of $10k to get a shoebox with a not great kitchen but $12-15k getting you something OK for one person. If you have more budget then great.

Feel free to PM me if you need any more info. I have a good agent in Happy Valley and a colleague of my husband has a good agent for mid-levels. We have both gotten good deals.

[thefirstday]

and then there is the temptation to start work early and go home late if you live just down the road - maybe you like that though.

no way i'm going to like that! hehe.
and thanks ct1 that was really great info. i'll PM u when i get more solid answers from my recruiter.. especially the salary range!

(as i get to know HK salary range OUTSIDE finance and banking industries, living in HK seems scarier and scarier by the minute......)