Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Daegu and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Daegu: $1,569 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Daegu
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,569
/mo nomad
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Daegu 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 Daegu and in Hong Kong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,569 per month in Daegu vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Daegu $1,569
  • Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,402 per month in Daegu vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Daegu $2,402
  • Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $3,235 per month in Daegu vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Daegu $3,235
  • Hong Kong $6,183

Daegu is about 47% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Daegu and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Daegu by 16%, Hong Kong by 121%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.29 ₩12.4K
$7.75 HK$60.8
19.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$37.12 ₩49.5K
$64.7 HK$508
-42.61%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.67 ₩7,562
$6.18 HK$48.51
-8.25%
Cappuccino
$3.97 ₩5,303
$5.08 HK$39.85
-21.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 ₩2,082
$1.31 HK$10.31
19.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 ₩1,206
$1.09 HK$8.56
-17.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.82 ₩5,100
$7.47 HK$58.6
-48.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.42 ₩7,229
$6.50 HK$51.0
-16.62%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.38 ₩3,172
$2.89 HK$22.71
-17.65%
White Bread (500g)
$4.49 ₩5,996
$2.31 HK$18.14
94.37%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.66 ₩3,553
$2.13 HK$16.71
24.88%
Eggs
$2.72 ₩3,631
$3.52 HK$27.65
-22.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.30 ₩13.7K
$24.72 HK$194
-58.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.44 ₩9,922
$8.52 HK$66.9
-12.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.76 ₩27.7K
$18.00 HK$141
15.33%
Apples (1kg)
$6.59 ₩8,792
$4.18 HK$32.79
57.66%
Banana (1kg)
$2.69 ₩3,589
$2.68 HK$21.07
0.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.72 ₩7,625
$4.49 HK$35.22
27.39%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.96 ₩7,949
$4.03 HK$31.66
47.89%
Potato (1kg)
$2.65 ₩3,530
$3.12 HK$24.51
-15.06%
Onion (1kg)
$2.06 ₩2,744
$3.15 HK$24.72
-34.60%
Lettuce (1 head)
$4.35 ₩5,809
$1.62 HK$12.75
168.52%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.37 ₩1,831
$1.74 HK$13.66
-21.26%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.88 ₩3,845
$13.50 HK$106
-78.67%
Wine (Bottle)
$14.91 ₩19.9K
$16.54 HK$130
-9.85%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.14 ₩2,858
$1.94 HK$15.19
10.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.49 ₩3,329
$2.18 HK$17.11
14.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.11 ₩1,478
$1.41 HK$11.04
-21.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$76.4 ₩101.9K
$88.6 HK$696
-13.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.14 ₩4,187
$3.69 HK$28.94
-14.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.61 ₩814
$1.32 HK$10.36
-53.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.02 ₩10.7K
$15.77 HK$124
-49.14%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.33 ₩1,781
$4.03 HK$31.65
-67.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.5K ₩38.0M
$44.7K HK$350.5K
-36.17%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.5K ₩55.3M
$37.8K HK$296.6K
9.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$280 ₩372.9K
$250 HK$1,959
11.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$50.5 ₩67.3K
$15.60 HK$122
223.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$47.09 ₩62.8K
$21.77 HK$171
116.31%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.0 ₩68.0K
$94.2 HK$739
-45.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.89 ₩15.9K
$9.29 HK$72.9
27.99%
Cinema Ticket
$11.26 ₩15.0K
$13.91 HK$109
-19.05%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$531 ₩708.9K
$1,162 HK$9,122
-54.29%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$27.9K ₩37.2M
$21.9K HK$171.6K
27.52%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.3 ₩75.0K
$68.0 HK$534
-17.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.3 ₩67.2K
$41.91 HK$329
20.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.0 ₩128.1K
$79.7 HK$626
20.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$164 ₩219.2K
$122 HK$956
34.94%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$408 ₩544.0K
$2,241 HK$17.6K
-81.81%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$273 ₩364.8K
$1,718 HK$13.5K
-84.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,044 ₩1.4M
$5,041 HK$39.6K
-79.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$607 ₩809.5K
$3,435 HK$27.0K
-82.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,125 ₩9.5M
$29.2K HK$229.0K
-75.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,559 ₩7.4M
$17.6K HK$137.9K
-68.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Daegu
Hong Kong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,478 ₩3.3M
$3,271 HK$25.7K
-24.25%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.07
3.91
29.67%

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

Last update for Daegu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Daegu
$414
Hong Kong
$411 0.7% $3.1
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Daegu
$377
Hong Kong
$287 23.9% $90
Accommodation & Living
Daegu
$273
Hong Kong
$1.7K 528% $1.4K
Eating Out
Daegu
$179
Hong Kong
$201 12.7% $23
Clothing & Footwear
Daegu
$165
Hong Kong
$140 15.1% $25
Getting Around
Daegu
$87
Hong Kong
$105 20.2% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Daegu
$73
Hong Kong
$122 66% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $408 in Daegu versus $2,241 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 32% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $414 in Daegu vs $411 in Hong Kong – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Daegu
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🕒 Local time
03:48 3:48 AM
02:48 2:48 AM
1 h behind Daegu
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,528,933
1,367,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Daegu Hong Kong 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Daegu
  • Hong Kong

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
Daegu vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Daegu and in Hong Kong compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,569 in Daegu, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Daegu compared to Hong Kong?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,353 per month in Daegu and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Daegu and Hong Kong?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Daegu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Daegu and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Daegu or Hong Kong?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,569 in Daegu and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 90%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Daegu, where all-in costs run around $1,569, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Daegu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Daegu and Hong Kong?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,569 in Daegu to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Daegu or Hong Kong safer for residents?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
How do I decide between Daegu and Hong Kong?
If budget matters most, go with Daegu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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