Industry: Archives

Age: 30

Location: Hong Kong. We've been here 2.5 years.

Salary: $79,000 (my husband makes $165K + bonus as an attorney)

Paycheck amount (monthly): $6,600 for me, $13,400 for my husband, not withholding taxes. In Hong Kong, you actually pay your taxes a year in advance, based on your projected income. So now we have technically already paid taxes for 2016 and are saving for our 2017 assessment. We pay an overall rate of about 10%. We do still owe tax in the U.S., but only federal income tax, no state taxes, FICA, etc. We do, however, qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and for 2015 the first $100,800 for each of us was tax-free.

# of roommates: 3, my husband, our daughter, and our nanny

Monthly Expenses

Rent: $3,224

Loan payments: Around $1,100 total for the combined minimum for my loans and my husband’s, we usually pay around $2,000.

Utilities: $100 electric (in summer), $40 cable and internet, $50 a month for gas

Transportation: No fixed costs

Phone bill: $70 a phone for 2 smartphones

Health insurance: Provided by employers at no cost to us

Savings: We each have 1.5% withheld from our paychecks every month for the Hong Kong version of Social Security. We put aside about $3,000 a month in Hong Kong to save to pay our tax bill, school tuition (it is billed by term, not monthly), and other random expenses. We also transfer about $2,000 to the U.S. every month (varies based on other monthly expenses) to be put into an investment account or used as general savings.

Nanny salary: $775 a month plus room and board. It seems crazy-low, but it is actually above average here.

School tuition: $1,180 a month for half-day pre-school.

Gym: $280 for unlimited classes at a boxing and weightlifting gym. It is insanely expensive, but it is also convenient and I actually like going.

Netflix: $8

iCloud storage: $2

Day 1 7 a.m. — Wake up. I was supposed to be at the gym this morning, but slept through my alarm. Oops. I eat some hummus, pita, and cheese for breakfast while watching Olympic highlights on the local TV station. Try and fail to get my daughter to eat some Cheerios.

9 a.m. — My walk to work is rainy and miserable. I love my short commute (10-minute walk), but hate being subject to the weather, especially this time of year.

9:45 a.m. — Put in a request to book an Airbnb for our upcoming trip to Paris.

11 a.m. — Eat some almonds I keep stashed at my desk.