Just over a month ago, Hong Kong actor Niklas Lam revealed that he had to juggle up to five part-time jobs since joining the entertainment industry in 2017 to make ends meet.
While Lam, 30, may have gained widespread popularity in 2023 for his role in the hit series The Queen Of News, his path to financial stability remains a challenging one.
In a recent vlog, the TVB star revealed that he had travelled all the way to Shenzhen, China, to get his tooth extracted as the cost was much cheaper than in Hong Kong.
Lam said extracting just one tooth in Hong Kong would’ve cost him between HK$700 (RM380) and HK$2,500 (RM1,360), but in Shenzhen, he paid 630 yuan (RM365) to have two removed.
“I’m lucky I didn’t have to get my wisdom tooth removed because that would’ve cost even more in Hong Kong,” he added.
According to the actor, extracting a wisdom tooth in Hong Kong costs around HK$5,000 (RM2,720), and if surgery is required, the price could reach up to HK$8,000 (RM4,351).
Meanwhile, a wisdom tooth extraction in Shenzhen only costs 700 yuan (RM405).
“(The price difference) is ridiculous. Will an actor in Hong Kong be very rich? The truth is they won’t. If they’re solely relying on their job as an artiste for income, they won’t have enough to feed themselves,” Lam lamented.
Many netizens have since flooded the comments, expressing shock at the high cost of living in Hong Kong.
“No wonder my cousin goes to Shenzhen every week for groceries,” said one netizen.
Another added: “The price difference is enough to buy a new phone.”
