When you are an expat person who is newly arriving to take your new employment in Hong Kong, you would already have your Hong Kong work visa applied and approved all through the Immigration Department. Depending on whether you are relocating just by yourself or with your dependents (i.e. children and/or spouse), the next immediate step is to head into Hong Kong.
When you are to work from Hong Kong, you are essentially living there. Every day or every weekend, you may get the opportunities to save money in which you have not previously realized. You should buy/get an Octopus card as soon as you have arrived in Hong Kong before leaving the airport. With the Octopus card, it is essentially your all-in-one payment card for all the transportation that would ever happen with you during the time you are living in HK.
The first time you are departing the HK airport and getting to your new home, you will use the Octopus card. But do skip the Airport Express. The fee of taking the Airport Express is a couple of times more costly than simply taking a plain trip with a bus and later a MTR train. Hong Kong is not a very large city, and with all the very convenient transportation options, you will be able to arrive at your new home very quickly.
During weekends and some of the weekdays if you are often in Hong Kong Island, you should try taking the tram often. The tram is one of the least expensive ways to get around the island. The fare for taking a trip of tram is much lower than the fare of MTR or other transport. Besides when you want the true experience of a local person, you cannot skip taking the tram.
Whenever you can, skip eating at western restaurants. The food in most of them are much more expensive than the food/meals in the local restaurants/cafes. In the local Hong Kong style cafe (often known as “tea cafes/restaurants”), the food menus may be in Chinese, but the cost is very economical when you consider the city has a relatively high cost of living (compared to the neighbor regions such as Taiwan, etc).
As an expat person, you would probably meet many other expatriates who are living or working in Hong Kong for long term or short term. Expats would most likely hang around in Central’s Lan Kwai Fong. In that place, drinks and food are very expensive (compared to most of all other places in HK). Whenever you can and when in need, do remember to buy some of your drinks in the nearby convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven).
After you stay in the city for long enough (i.e. sometimes a couple of years), you will learn from the local people many more tips and tricks on how to save more money. You will learn the best ways to live like the local residents. When you have completed working there for more than seven years, you will be eligible to apply for permanent residence status (i.e. Hong Kong Permanent Identify Card).
