Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Darwin and Hong Kong

For one person, living costs are similar in Darwin and in Hong Kong: $3,070 and $2,984 a month, rent and utilities included.

149

Cost of Living Index in Darwin
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Darwin Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Darwin

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,070

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,070 in Darwin versus $2,984 in Hong Kong.

Darwin $3,070
Hong Kong $2,984

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,116 in Darwin versus $4,558 in Hong Kong.

Darwin $4,116
Hong Kong $4,558

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,163 in Darwin versus $6,132 in Hong Kong.

Darwin $5,163
Hong Kong $6,132

Living in Darwin is roughly 3% more expensive than in Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Darwin 129% above, Hong Kong 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 A$32.25

$8.46 HK$66.4

166.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.0 A$129

$63.2 HK$496

42.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.96 A$15.69

$6.20 HK$48.66

76.77%

Cappuccino

$4.07 A$5.82

$4.90 HK$38.41

-16.94%

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

$3.31 A$4.74

$1.27 HK$10.01

160.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.42

$1.06 HK$8.31

191.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.54 A$10.79

$7.68 HK$60.3

-1.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.41 A$10.61

$6.28 HK$49.24

17.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 A$2.13

$2.86 HK$22.45

-47.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 A$4.24

$2.43 HK$19.10

22.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 A$3.12

$2.18 HK$17.09

Eggs

$4.35 A$6.23

$3.54 HK$27.80

22.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.91 A$12.74

$25.12 HK$197

-64.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.49 A$12.15

$8.89 HK$69.8

-4.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 A$13.27

$17.63 HK$138

-47.42%

Apples (1kg)

$3.91 A$5.59

$4.11 HK$32.22

-4.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.09

$2.72 HK$21.32

5.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 A$4.01

$4.59 HK$36.05

-38.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 A$7.37

$4.02 HK$31.52

28.11%

Potato (1kg)

$2.53 A$3.61

$3.25 HK$25.50

-22.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 A$3.46

$3.27 HK$25.70

-25.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.07 A$2.96

$1.60 HK$12.54

29.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 A$3.03

$1.73 HK$13.56

22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$43.93 A$62.9

$13.14 HK$103

234.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.81 A$16.91

$16.59 HK$130

-28.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$10.12 A$14.48

$2.01 HK$15.80

403.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.83 A$11.20

$2.18 HK$17.13

259.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.01 A$68.7

$89.1 HK$699

-46.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.72 A$5.32

$3.64 HK$28.53

2.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 A$1.89

$1.31 HK$10.29

0.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.60 A$71.0

$15.82 HK$124

213.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 A$1.84

$4.06 HK$31.89

-68.23%

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

$31.4K A$44.9K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-29.23%

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

$41.5K A$59.4K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

11.10%

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

$216 A$309

$247 HK$1,942

-12.82%

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

$33.26 A$47.59

$15.89 HK$125

109.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.3 A$87.7

$21.46 HK$168

185.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.7 A$114

$91.4 HK$717

-12.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 A$40.22

$9.08 HK$71.3

209.58%

Cinema Ticket

$17.07 A$24.42

$13.96 HK$110

22.28%

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

$1,924 A$2,753

$1,155 HK$9,067

66.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,239 A$11.8K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-62.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.2 A$119

$68.9 HK$541

20.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 A$66.0

$40.44 HK$317

14.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$150

$79.9 HK$627

30.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$138 A$198

$118 HK$923

17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 A$2,456

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-21.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,670 A$2,390

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-2.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,712 A$3,881

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-46.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 A$3,085

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-39.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,794 A$5,429

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-86.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,538 A$5,063

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-79.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,166 A$5,962

$3,228 HK$25.3K

29.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.14

3.91

57.03%

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

Last update for Darwin: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Darwin

$1.7K 55%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 2.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Darwin

$377 12.4%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 10% $38

Eating Out

Darwin

$340 11.2%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 39.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Darwin

$310 10.2%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 8.2% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Darwin

$168 5.5%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 17.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Darwin

$114 3.8%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 4.8% $5.4

Getting Around

Darwin

$58 * 1.9%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 80.1% $47

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,716 in Darwin and $2,180 in Hong Kong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Darwin pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $90.0 in Darwin vs $63.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries flip the comparison at $377 vs $415, with Darwin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Darwin

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

15:54 3:54 PM

14:24 2:24 PM

1 h 30 min behind Darwin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,207

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Between locations

Darwin Hong Kong 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Darwin
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

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

Hong Kong is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and utilities. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Darwin, 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: $1,716 in Darwin versus $2,180 in Hong Kong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Darwin pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Hong Kong – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $90.0 in Darwin. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Hong Kong is the more realistic option, but even there you'll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

For families, Hong Kong is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Darwin, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Darwin 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 Hong Kong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Darwin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.