What are the shopping options like in Hong Kong?

An octopus card is key to navigating Hong Kong, so obtaining one should be a priority upon arriving in the city. It can be easily purchased at any Mass Transit Railway or MTR station. While it is more commonly as a transportation payment method for the train or buses, an octopus card can be used for more than that. It is one of the more popular payment options in the city, widely used in shops and restaurants. It can even facilitate immediate fund transfers between users and vendors without going through a bank by binding the octopus card to a debit or credit account. Hong Kong residents even use their octopus cards to pay for utility and mobile phone bills by visiting a 7-11. Octopus cards can be personalized, enabling functions for certain users. While there are more common functions such as elderly or student discounts, more unique features have been gradually built into octopus cards as well. For example, newer housing estates have allowed residents to register their octopus cards as a form of building entry authorization, eliminating the need for residents to carry a separate entry card or key fob to enter their homes.

Someone moving to Hong Kong should know about the living condition. Hong Kong is very crowded, most people live in high rise building. You may hear your neighbor shouting at their kids, singing in the shower etc. The rental price is also very expensive, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment is HK$12,000!

Most people in Hong Kong are bilingual, in that they are able to converse in both Cantonese and English, either relatively well or fluently. However, it would be handy to carry a translator app just in case. There are a multitude of shops and restaurants which would cater to most people’s interests and tastes, especially if they have money to burn. and that, there are areas which are more off the beaten track for the more adventurous as well.