Quite often we desire to relocate to new countries or cities in search of “greener pasture." The rule of the game is: the destination should offer more benefits and better-living conditions than your current city or country.
Lately, there has been an influx of Australian professionals from all walks of life planning on moving to Hong Kong while others are contemplating in moving to Singapore. However, there is scanty information on living conditions in both countries. In this article, we create a comparison between the two Cities to enable the professionals to make an informed decision between Hong Kong and Singapore based on available facts.
For a long time, Hong Kong has been known as Asia’s most livable city. However, over time, the city has lost its appeal as the best city. This is attributed to socio-political instability experienced in the region. The city lost its top ranking and is facing stiff competition from other upcoming cities. One major factor for the decline in status was the Occupy Central movement that occurred between September and December 2014. Residents were protesting and picketing and hence brought the entire city to a standstill.
Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) conducted an annual livability index ranking Hong Kong position 46 (a drop by 15 places). Singapore, Hong Kong's rival city, moved two places upwards and was ranked at 49. Early this year (January 2016) a survey conducted indicated that Hong Kong had been upstaged as the best city. According to Human Resource Consulting firm ECA International Hong Kong lost its appeal and dropped 16 positions. Factors evaluated included the availability of health care facilities and climate. Below, we use some metrics to compare the two cities:
Population
Comparatively speaking, both Singapore and Hong Kong are some of the most populated cities in the world. However, between the two cities, Hong Kong is the most populated with about 7.2 million people. On its part, Singapore has 5.5 million inhabitants. Looking at population per square kilometer, Hong Kong is at 6,690 people per square kilometer, while Singapore is at 7,615 people per square kilometer.
Affordable housing
Every household needs affordable housing commensurate with their income. It is practical to spend a significant proportion of your income on housing, yet you have other competing costs. A survey conducted by the Demographia's International Housing Affordability in 2014 realized that Hong Kong was one of the world's most expensive cities. On the other hand, housing in Singapore was more affordable, and this is attributed to government interventions on taming the skyrocketing cost of accommodation. It, therefore, goes without saying that more people would prefer moving to a city with affordable housing.
Public transport
A developed transport network is an indication of a stable economy. In comparing public transport between Hong Kong and Singapore, it was noted that both countries have sophisticated transportation systems which include bus and railway systems. Every part of these cities has a well-developed transport network with proper roads and railways systems to connect every settlement and business locations. Singapore has more rail length per million people (33.5 km) compared to Hong Kong’s 30.6 km per million people.
Crime rate
In Asia, Hong Kong and Singapore are some of the safest cities. However, between the two cities, Singapore has a lower crime rate. The crime rate of a city has an effect on whether people would or not move there. When a city experiences higher crime rates, chances of people getting attacked and hurt are high. People are not assured of their safety and that of their property. Therefore, looking at crime rate as a factor, more Australians may express the desire to move to Singapore compared to Hong Kong because they find Singapore safer.
Gastronomic delights
Both Singapore and Hong Kong are known as "Gastronomic hubs." However, looking at the restaurant which has been awarded the much coveted Michelin Stars, Hong Kong is home to many of these restaurants. For example, Hong Kong is hosting five 3 star hotels, fourteen 2 star hotels and forty-five 1 star hotels. On the contrary, Singapore does not own any of these superior facilities. Therefore, for those who love to eat out, they may find Hong Kong a better city to live in compared to Singapore.
There is an array of factors that may be considered when determining whether you should move to a new city or not. As highlighted above, some of these critical factors include the city's population, affordable housing, public transport, crime rate, gastronomic delights among other factors. These factors will guide you in making a more informed decision based on your preference.
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