Hong Kong or South Korea
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Hong Kong | South Korea | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | $ 61 224 | $ 61 452 |
| Citizenship | — | 5 years |
| Partner can work | — | no |
| Parents | difficult | difficult |
| Pets | difficult | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | 5 |
| Quarantine | — | 10 days |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 3 152 | $ 999 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 54,6 | $ 40,9 |
| Life expectancy | 85.39 | 83.63 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.38 | 0.49 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | — | 6 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Hong Kong — 21, South Korea — 91. Types present in both: work, study, family, investment, startup, talent, repatriation and working holiday. South Korea adds: job seeking.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Hong Kong: fees range from 330 to 600 HKD. Routes with a published decision deadline: 14; the shortest is 14 days. South Korea: fees range from 60 to 90 USD. Routes stating an income threshold: 1; the lowest is 1,500,000,000 KRW a month.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: Hong Kong after 7 years, South Korea after 5 years. Citizenship: South Korea after 5 years; the other country publishes no term. Bringing your own parents: South Korea — yes, Hong Kong — no.
Hong Kong in brief
Hong Kong is a special administrative region of the PRC with the status of a separate jurisdiction (“one country, two systems”): low taxes, English as a working language, three channels for skilled specialists (GEP, TTPS, QMAS). Permanent residence comes after 7 continuous years, but it is not the same as PRC citizenship — naturalisation is difficult and does not allow dual citizenship. The official dependant visa covers only a spouse and minor children, not parents. Housing is among the most expensive in the world; typhoons are a recurring natural hazard.
South Korea in brief
South Korea combines a developed technology economy and low violent crime with a formal points system for long-term residence (E-7 → F-2-7 → F-5) and substantial restrictions on dual citizenship and on a spouse working. Parents, your own or a partner's, can only get the temporary renewable F-1-15 visa with no right to work. Natural hazards are moderate — seasonal typhoons and monsoon floods, earthquakes rare; the notable problem is air quality, the worst among OECD countries.
Other comparisons
Hong Kong or… Taiwan · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia · Azerbaijan
South Korea or… Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China · Sri Lanka
More on each: Hong Kong · South Korea. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.