How Much Does It Cost to Rent an Apartment in Mid-Levels, Hong Kong?
Simply put, the cost to rent an apartment in Mid-Levels, let alone Hong Kong, can vary drastically. While Hong Kong is consistently ranked (and often tied for first) as one of the most expensive cities to live in, there are some reasonable rent deals you can find – it just depends on what you are willing to compromise on (ex. Location, walk-up vs. lift, furnished vs. unfurnished).
While this was by no means my favorite apartment I have ever rented or lived in, it has felt the most like home. Hong Kong has always felt like home and is the city I am planning to continue to base myself. And for me, that’s the most important.
Please keep in mind that the below figures may vary from what others have paid and this is solely meant to shed light on my expenses in Hong Kong. Hopefully, it also provides a rough idea of some of the expenses you can expect to pay.
Location: What the Heck is Mid-Levels?
Located smack dab in the middle of ‘Victoria Peak’ and Central on Hong Kong Island, Mid-Levels is a residential neighborhood popular with expats and affluent locals. Mid-Levels consists of four key areas: Mid-Levels West, Mid-Levels East, Mid-Levels Central, and Mid-Levels North.
Mid-Levels is far bigger than I ever realized and spans from slightly north of the Sai Ying Pun MTR to Lover’s Rock out on Bowen Road (a stone’s throw from the Happy Valley Racecourse).
My apartment is (by the time you are reading this, ‘was’ might be more appropriate) located on Robinson Road, less than a 5-minute walk from the Soho Escalators and 1-minute hop from the Castle Steps. Depending on how you slice it, I’m either considered Mid-Levels Central or Mid-Levels West. It was also less than a 15-minute walk to The Hive Sheung Wan coworking space (where I spent one year working out of).
Described by the South China Morning Post as having ‘always been symbolic of social status’, there is always that “Oh I see” look with a slight smirk after you name-drop that you live on Robinson or Conduit Road. I personally think the reaction and stereotype are overblown. However, there is a truth that does exist to it.
For me, Mid-Levels symbolizes convenience. A quick 23 bus (or 56 Green Minibus) ride away down across Hong Kong Island to North Point (in just 30 minutes), a 10-minute walk down the Castle Steps to Soho and the Central MTR, and a 20-minute cab ride to Tsim Sha Tsui. People who complain Mid-Levels is inconvenient just haven’t figured out the little hacks to employ to significantly cut down on travel times.
Then again, I do sometimes convince myself I am closer than I am to things and end up 20 minutes late frequently.
Mid-Levels provides refuge from the in-your-face, fast-paced, 9-5 hustle just a few steps below in Central. It allows for some sort of disconnect from your work and personal life – the commute up the escalators at the end of a long day is the equivalent of your 15 to 20-minute car drive home from work in New Hampshire.
There is a silence and quiet that can be found in Mid-Levels, which may be surprising for some with just how close it is to Lan Kwai Fong, corporate offices, and the hustle and bustle of it all.
It also is home to several of my favorite laptop-friendly cafes in Hong Kong, such as Elephant Grounds (on Caine Road), Blend & Grind (on Princes Terrace), and Coffee Academics (on Robinson). Oh, and I can’t forget Pizza Hut – I’m a huge fan of devouring a nice half-and-half cheese stuffed crust pizza while watching Emily in Paris.
The Price: What’s the Damage Per Month For a One Bedroom in Mid-Levels?
As I’m moving out of my apartment in less than three weeks, I’m not too fussed about providing the name of the building. After all, I aim to provide as much transparency as possible about things (for better or worse).
I lived in a building called Robinson Crest, located at 71-73 Robinson Road. Mid-Levels boasts a fair amount of older buildings and this one is no different, having been built in 1979. However, it did come with two lifts and was not dilapidated.
I paid a grand total of HK$21,000 per month for a 512 square foot, unfurnished 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment with a giant walk-in closet, which is the equivalent of USD 2,695 per month (at the time of writing). The management fee was baked into the monthly rent. I also had to put down a two-month deposit (standard in Hong Kong) and pay a half month’s rental fee to the realtor I went through (it was a blessing as my realtor ended up becoming a very good friend).
From what both my friends and I have paid in the area, I can confidently say that renting a 1 bedroom, 1 bath apartment in Mid-Levels will typically run you anywhere from HK$16,000 per month to $28,000 per month.
This article is written from the perspective of a single, 32-year-old man with no children. A friend and his wife and three kids live less than a 30-second walk away from me and pay on average HK$100,000 per month for rent (roughly 5 times what I pay). Some apartments for sale in Mid-Levels have even gone for as much as HK$500 million. I also have friends who share flats in Mid-Levels and pay just about half of what I do.
I consider what I paid for this apartment a steal for its size and location, and would attribute its generous price reduction due to the lack of renters when I first moved back to Hong Kong during the height of the pandemic. I also recognize that due to the state of the market and lack of renters over the last two years that a better deal is definitely on the table when I get back.
Always negotiate and remember that longer contracts (2-year contracts) can likely yield a sizable reduction in monthly rent. However, do keep in mind that a 2-year contract can become a pain in the ass if you ultimately don’t like the apartment, it has some hidden issues that you didn’t pick up on during your inspection, or you have a terrible landlord (I’m really thankful I had a fantastic landlord who was very accommodating and fixed any issues that popped up right away).
What Was the Cost to Furnish My Mid-Levels Apartment?
In total, it cost me roughly HK$50,000 to furnish the apartment. I didn’t realize just how expensive beds (and bed frames) are in Hong Kong, which can run you around HK$20,000 for a king-sized mattress and frame combined.
My couch (a 320 cm L-shape sofa), roughly HK$25,000 – the only real thing I splurged on for my apartment since I spend most of my Sundays sprawled out on it (and use it as a second bed). And my dinner table which doubled as a desk (with a curved monitor) came out to roughly HK$7,000.
Those were my major expenses with furnishing the apartment and I won’t dive too deep into the others, since they mainly consisted of plastic shelves for the bathroom, small pieces of Etsy art, and an Ikea coffee table.
One good (and bad) thing about Hong Kong is that it is and can be a transient city – meaning that people are looking to get rid of high-quality items quickly and cheaply. For my next apartment, I plan on spending a month or two browsing either GeoExpat, HK Asia Expat, or Facebook Marketplace for some deals on essential furnishings.
I believe you can cut down costs to furnish by about 75% should you opt to furnish your apartment through one of the above (or a mixture of) marketplaces and websites.
Utilities & Other Miscellaneous Expenses
I sweat a lot and as such, I feel like I am constantly running the AC and doing laundry. My average electricity bills per month come out to just around HK$700 to HK$1,000 and my water and gas bills are (were) a fraction of that. If you are a normal person, don’t expect to pay anywhere near this per month for electricity.
I would recommend that you self-report your gas meter readings regularly so that you don’t end up having Town & Gas owe you HK$5,000 because you kept grossly overpaying.
For the internet, I just tethered to my phone via my Smartone plan (roughly HK$200 per month) and it got the job more than done. The apartment also came with basic cable but I hooked up several of my streaming accounts to the smart television I purchased (for roughly HK$2,500) and fulfilled all my trashbag television needs that way.
Finally, I paid to have my apartment cleaned every two weeks, which cost me roughly USD 60 per month.
If you are curious about how much I’ve paid for rent in other countries, make sure to check out my articles explaining the cost to rent a luxury apartment in Taipei and the cost to rent a luxury service apartment in Ho Chi Minh.
The Downsides: Construction, Construction, Construction
This is what I would consider a standard apartment in Mid-Levels. My only ‘complaint’ about the apartment itself was that it didn’t feel like a true 512-square-foot apartment because of its giant walk-in closet. I don’t own an extensive wardrobe or countless suitcases to fully make use of it. But that one is also on me, so I really can’t complain too much.
My building came with minimal amenities such as a fitness center or pool (but that is alright considering I was a 7-minute walk from my gym ‘Pure Fitness’). Then again, every apartment that I have lived in with a pool in Asia was somewhat frustrating, since it is typically only open for several months of the year. As someone who grew up swimming in the Atlantic, bring on the cold.
A rampant problem (actually, more of a nuisance) in Hong Kong is construction. I went nearly 2/3rds of my tenancy being woken up by some sort of construction occurring on one of the above floors. If possible, before renting, I always recommend speaking to your landlord or building management to ask for a copy of planned or anticipated construction dates.
Of course, these can pop up after you sign your lease but if you do notice a large volume of construction projects right above or below you, I would probably run as fast as possible in the other direction.
As mentioned above, I do think when returning to Hong Kong that I can find a bigger apartment, with more bedrooms, that has a pool and even a fitness center within the above budget. And, I know for a fact that I have seen some furnished apartments within the aforementioned budget.
Other Considerations to Keep in Mind Before Renting in Hong Kong
Here are a few of the rental sites that I would browse daily and set alerts for during my apartment hunt:
If you are planning on renting an apartment in Mid-Levels or Hong Kong for the long term, I always recommend staying at least one month in a serviced apartment or hotel before you decide on anything. See as many apartments as possible, put out feeler offers, and take your time. You are in the driver’s seat with this, don’t forget it.
And, if you plan on owning a car in Hong Kong, check to see if the apartment includes a personal parking space. For some, these are just as valuable as apartments themselves and are an extremely hot commodity in Hong Kong.
Final Thoughts on Renting an Apartment in Mid-Levels
For me, Hong Kong is home. My father is here, my best friends are here, my life is here. Writing this on the verge of taking several months out of Hong Kong (to catch my breath) has me feeling nostalgic.
As strange as it sounds, I can’t wait to get back and go through this process again – because this time around, I will be locking in an apartment that I make my base for the foreseeable future.
I hope this article helps iron out a few kinks of the renting process in Hong Kong for you and please don’t hesitate if you have any questions about lining up an apartment here. Now, off to Saigon for me. Things are just getting started.
All the best,
Big Body
Big Body is a voracious lov…eater, a cowardly fighter, and a self-proclaimed curry goat BBQ-eating champion (don’t forget the donkey milk) who likes Stoicism, baseball, and writing in the third person. Having worked for himself for the last 7 years, he isn’t particularly successful but he does still drink ice-cold Sapporo draft beers with the best of them and knows his way around a Dai Pai Dong or two. He is based in Hong Kong but you can still find him in Saigon, Osaka, and Vienna for extended periods.