Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between China and Hong Kong (China)

Name: Hong Kong (China)
Address: HK

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $791 a month against $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong (China)
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Hong Kong (China) Living Index

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🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in China and in Hong Kong (China)

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $791 in China versus $3,046 in Hong Kong (China).

China $791
Hong Kong (China) $3,046

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,251 in China versus $4,715 in Hong Kong (China).

China $1,251
Hong Kong (China) $4,715

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in China versus $6,384 in Hong Kong (China).

China $1,711
Hong Kong (China) $6,384

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $3,028–$3,028 in Hong Kong (China). City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in China costs about 74% less than in Hong Kong (China) on average.

China (42% below) and Hong Kong (China) (124% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ¥19.81

$8.47 HK$66.5

-64.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.09 ¥147

$64.7 HK$508

-65.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.60

$6.25 HK$49.02

-16.80%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ¥19.74

$5.17 HK$40.58

-42.55%

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

$0.48 ¥3.19

$1.31 HK$10.28

-63.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥2.01

$1.13 HK$8.88

-73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ¥7.18

$7.44 HK$58.4

-85.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 ¥15.15

$6.54 HK$51.3

-65.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 ¥11.96

$2.90 HK$22.76

-37.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 ¥11.15

$2.35 HK$18.47

-28.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$2.25 HK$17.68

-59.11%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.73

$3.45 HK$27.10

-53.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ¥89.0

$24.79 HK$194

-46.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.28

$8.85 HK$69.4

-62.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.35 ¥75.5

$18.08 HK$142

-37.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.12

$4.05 HK$31.77

-55.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.69

$2.62 HK$20.56

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$4.71 HK$36.93

-68.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.47

$3.95 HK$30.95

-67.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.73

$3.21 HK$25.15

-77.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$3.22 HK$25.24

-71.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$1.66 HK$13.00

-62.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$1.77 HK$13.92

-68.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.78 ¥25.15

$13.43 HK$105

-71.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.13 ¥80.7

$15.22 HK$119

-20.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.54

$1.98 HK$15.50

-58.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.21

$2.29 HK$17.95

-26.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$1.34 HK$10.50

-78.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.83 ¥119

$89.5 HK$702

-80.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.49 ¥9.89

$3.73 HK$29.22

-60.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 ¥2.49

$1.36 HK$10.66

-72.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ¥47.23

$16.00 HK$126

-55.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.37

$3.98 HK$31.21

-68.34%

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

$19.4K ¥129.4K

$44.5K HK$348.9K

-56.28%

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

$17.5K ¥116.7K

$37.6K HK$295.3K

-53.42%

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

$54.6 ¥363

$239 HK$1,878

-77.21%

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

$8.73 ¥58.1

$15.99 HK$125

-45.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.07 ¥73.6

$21.59 HK$169

-48.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.77 ¥271

$98.3 HK$771

-58.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.48 ¥96.4

$9.38 HK$73.6

54.37%

Cinema Ticket

$6.78 ¥45.12

$12.59 HK$98.8

-46.15%

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

$517 ¥3,437

$1,280 HK$10.0K

-59.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.8K ¥131.8K

$22.6K HK$177.3K

-12.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.53 ¥310

$67.8 HK$532

-31.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ¥237

$43.21 HK$339

-17.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 ¥512

$82.9 HK$650

-7.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.3 ¥534

$124 HK$973

-35.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,567

$2,373 HK$18.6K

-83.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 ¥1,561

$1,777 HK$13.9K

-86.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$822 ¥5,469

$5,399 HK$42.4K

-84.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$453 ¥3,015

$3,614 HK$28.4K

-87.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,697 ¥31.3K

$29.5K HK$231.1K

-84.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,372 ¥15.8K

$17.9K HK$140.2K

-86.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,093 ¥7,274

$3,297 HK$25.9K

-66.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

3.79

-8.71%

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

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong (China): October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

China

$235 29.6%

Hong Kong (China)

$1.8K 58.3% 658% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

China

$210 26.5%

Hong Kong (China)

$412 13.5% 96% $202

Clothing & Footwear

China

$108 13.6%

Hong Kong (China)

$143 4.7% 32.8% $35

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Hong Kong (China)

$209 6.9% 137% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$74 9.4%

Hong Kong (China)

$277 9.1% 273% $203

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.9%

Hong Kong (China)

$124 4.1% 127% $69

Getting Around

China

$22 2.8%

Hong Kong (China)

$105 3.5% 372% $83

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $298 in China, $2,432 in Hong Kong (China). Capital cities: $933 in Beijing (Pekin) vs $2,432 in Hong Kong.

National salary averages: $873 in China, $3,264 in Hong Kong (China). Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 716% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Dining out costs 186% more in Hong Kong (China).

Public transport is 389% more expensive in Hong Kong (China).

Salaries are about 3.7 times higher in Hong Kong (China).

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

🕒 Local time

23:21 11:21 PM

Same time as China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

7,413,070

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.43 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.76 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

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China Hong Kong (China) 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

China
Hong Kong (China)

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

China vs Hong Kong (China): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $791 per month in China and $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), China comes out about 74% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $2,432 in Hong Kong (China) and $298 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: China wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.