Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carlton and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Carlton: $2,287 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Carlton
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Carlton Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Carlton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,287

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Carlton and in Hong Kong

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Carlton and in Hong Kong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,287 in Carlton versus $2,984 in Hong Kong.

Carlton $2,287
Hong Kong $2,984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,321 in Carlton versus $4,584 in Hong Kong.

Carlton $3,321
Hong Kong $4,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,355 in Carlton versus $6,183 in Hong Kong.

Carlton $4,355
Hong Kong $6,183

Living in Carlton costs roughly 23% less than in Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Carlton 69% above, Hong Kong 121% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.71 A$25.48

$7.75 HK$60.8

128.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.7 A$98.9

$64.7 HK$508

6.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 A$14.34

$6.18 HK$48.51

61.17%

Cappuccino

$2.92 A$4.21

$5.08 HK$39.85

-42.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 A$3.78

$1.31 HK$10.31

100.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 A$3.06

$1.09 HK$8.56

95.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.76 A$9.73

$7.47 HK$58.6

-9.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 A$9.41

$6.50 HK$51.0

0.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$2.89 HK$22.71

-54.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 A$2.95

$2.31 HK$18.14

-11.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 A$1.90

$2.13 HK$16.71

-38.03%

Eggs

$3.20 A$4.60

$3.52 HK$27.65

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 A$14.79

$24.72 HK$194

-58.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.99 A$14.38

$8.52 HK$66.9

17.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.28 A$21.98

$18.00 HK$141

-15.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.78

$4.18 HK$32.79

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.05

$2.68 HK$21.07

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.20 A$4.60

$4.49 HK$35.22

-28.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 A$6.44

$4.03 HK$31.66

11.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 A$3.54

$3.12 HK$24.51

-21.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 A$3.19

$3.15 HK$24.72

-29.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 A$3.07

$1.62 HK$12.75

31.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 A$1.29

$1.74 HK$13.66

-48.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.25 A$36.33

$13.50 HK$106

87.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.62 A$15.28

$16.54 HK$130

-35.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.74 A$8.26

$1.94 HK$15.19

195.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.12 A$7.37

$2.18 HK$17.11

134.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 A$4.38

$1.41 HK$11.04

116.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.9 A$116

$88.6 HK$696

-8.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.36

$3.69 HK$28.94

0.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 A$1.82

$1.32 HK$10.36

-4.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.18 A$37.68

$15.77 HK$124

66.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 A$1.95

$4.03 HK$31.65

-66.25%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.4K A$26.5K

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-58.78%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$13.8K A$19.9K

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-63.40%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$89.5 A$129

$250 HK$1,959

-64.13%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$27.31 A$39.31

$15.60 HK$122

75.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.80 A$65.9

$21.77 HK$171

110.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.60 A$45.47

$94.2 HK$739

-66.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 A$24.92

$9.29 HK$72.9

86.44%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 A$18.64

$13.91 HK$109

-6.83%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,061 A$2,965

$1,162 HK$9,122

77.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K A$18.1K

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-42.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.1 A$114

$68.0 HK$534

16.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.37 A$71.1

$41.91 HK$329

17.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 A$101

$79.7 HK$626

-12.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 A$193

$122 HK$956

10.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$2,001

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,204 A$1,732

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-29.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,150 A$3,093

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-57.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,829 A$2,631

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-46.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,647 A$8,126

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-80.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,209 A$7,496

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-70.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,717 A$8,227

$3,271 HK$25.7K

74.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.91

50.90%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Carlton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Carlton

$1.2K 52.6%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 42.8% $515

Groceries & Markets

Carlton

$338 14.8%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 21.4% $72

Eating Out

Carlton

$273 11.9%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 26.1% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carlton

$163 7.1%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 76.4% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Carlton

$150 6.5%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 6.4% $9.5

Getting Around

Carlton

$103 4.5%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 1.4% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Carlton

$58 2.5%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 112% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Carlton and $2,241 in Hong Kong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Carlton pays 75% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $69.0 in Carlton vs $65.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries flip the comparison at $338 vs $411, with Carlton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Carlton

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

10:07 10:07 AM

07:07 7:07 AM

3 h behind Carlton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,001

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Carlton Hong Kong 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Carlton
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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Carlton vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Carlton and Hong Kong differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($2,287 vs $2,984 including rent). Carlton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 75% higher in Carlton, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,391 in Carlton versus $2,241 in Hong Kong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,061 in Carlton versus $1,162 in Hong Kong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Hong Kong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,287 in Carlton versus $2,984 in Hong Kong, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Carlton but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Carlton the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Carlton and Hong Kong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Carlton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Hong Kong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.