Moving to Hong Kong, the easiest way to find accommodation is to use one of Hong Kong's real estate agents. Both the renter and the landlord pay for the agent’s services. Most leases are signed for 2 years with the right to terminate after 12 months.

Expatriate housing in Hong Kong generally falls into one of two categories: High-rise apartment blocks and low-rise townhouses. Single-family, detached housing that is common in the US and Western Europe is scarce. Generally, expat apartments range from 80 to 260 square meters. There are as well a wide selection of Service Apartments available and many young professionals new to the city prefer flat sharing options.

While the convenience of living in a central area attracts many newly arrived residents, so does the ability to live in relaxed environments close to nature. Largely due to the efficient and modern transport infrastructure of Hong Kong, living in the city often offers the ability to balance the two, as frequent connections with Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and Bus Services allows efficient ways of commuting between different areas of the city.

When relocating to Hong Kong, a key decision to be made is whether you should transport much of your furniture and belongings to your new home or not. Moving to Hong Kong enables both options, as overseas transportation is a service commonly offered by companies specialized in international relocations for individuals and families. Meanwhile, new furniture of all price classes can also be found in any of the city’s major warehouses, as well as on both websites and social media platforms used for second-hand retailing.

Hong Kong has many world-class hospitals and medical facilities. Doctors, dentists, and other medical professionals are often trained overseas, bringing the latest techniques and treatments back with them.

In public hospitals, patients falling into the following categories are subject to charges lower than for others:

• Holders of Hong Kong Identity Card issued under the Registration of Persons Ordinance (Chapter 177)

• children who are Hong Kong residents and under 11 years of age; or

• other persons approved by the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority.

Health care is also offered by private hospitals and practitioners providing service in all areas of Hong Kong and the New Territories. These are (much) more expensive but can usually offer more convenient and comfortable care. A health insurance policy is usually a prerequisite for access to private healthcare.

Hong Kong has an easily accessible and well-developed local transport system that includes commuter trains, subways, buses and trams, making it quick and easy to commute across the territory. The availability of taxis is good and is easy to use as a supplement to public transport.

In order to use municipal transport, you need an Octopus card, which can also be used to pay in some shops. You buy an octopus card (and top it up) either via MTR (which owns the subway) or at the nearest convenience store.

The schools in Hong Kong, both public and private, generally maintain a high standard. The public schools are free, but most non-cantonese speaking children attend one of Hong Kong's many international schools, where fees between 130.000 - 250.000+ HKD per child per year are common. On top of that, extra payments often need to be made for debenture, computers, school uniforms and activities.
Most international schools offer American or British-style curricula with English as the medium of instruction and opportunities to learn Chinese as a second language. The application pressure on the schools is usually high, and it is advised to apply well in advance, and to several schools, to be sure of getting a spot. It is quite common (unless the employer supports via a relocation agent) to take help from so-called school consultants who help with application documents, book meetings, pre-tests, references, etc.
Many families await a school acceptance before deciding on where to live, but most schools offer school bus services across Hong Kong making it possible for students to communicate between different areas.

The kindergarten sector consists mainly of privately run institutions, most of them accepting children from 2 years old and upwards although a parent or guardian in attendance might be required if the child is younger than 3 years. “Local” kindergartens mostly use Cantonese as the medium of instruction while many international kindergartens offer bilingual (English/Mandarin or English/Cantonese) classes.

The Swedish School in Hong Kong offers supplementary Swedish classes for Swedish speaking children from 6 to 16 years of age. The Swedish School follows Skolverket’s “Kursplan i svenska för kompletterande undervisning för svenska elever i utlandet" and offers classes of two lesson hours a week.

Bulletinen

Bulletinen is a non-profit publication in Swedish for the Swedish speaking community in Hong Kong. Its content is a mixture of updates and event notifications, as well as features and reports on topics and happenings that are relevant to the Swedish speaking community in the region. Bulletinen is published with 6 issues per year, subscribing is free, and the publication is available both in print and digital.

Church of Sweden

The Church of Sweden currently lacks representation in Hong Kong. Until 2020, the Church of Sweden had a priest positioned in Hong Kong, decisions regarding future presence in the region are yet to be made by SKUT (Church of Sweden Abroad).

Others

Among student circles, the Swedish Culture Association is an active alumni network with Young Professionals from Hong Kong and Macau with previous educational experience in Sweden. Likewise, the Swedish Society of Hong Kong University is a local student organization aspiring to promote Swedish culture and build a local network.