Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dili and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Dili: $1,574 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $16,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Dili
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Dili Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Dili

🇹🇱 Timor-Leste

$1,574

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,574 per month in Dili vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Dili $1,574
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,466 per month in Dili vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Dili $2,466
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $3,359 per month in Dili vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Dili $3,359
Hong Kong $6,132

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

Both Dili and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Dili by 17%, Hong Kong by 123%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.13 $5.13

$8.46 HK$66.4

-39.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.43 $42.43

$63.2 HK$496

-32.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.91 $7.91

$6.20 HK$48.66

27.58%

Cappuccino

$4.18 $4.18

$4.90 HK$38.41

-14.69%

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

$1.63 $1.63

$1.27 HK$10.01

28.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 $2.76

$1.06 HK$8.31

160.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 $2.57

$7.68 HK$60.3

-66.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 $4.46

$6.28 HK$49.24

-28.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 $2.37

$2.86 HK$22.45

-17.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 $2.52

$2.43 HK$19.10

3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 $0.96

$2.18 HK$17.09

-55.96%

Eggs

$2.68 $2.68

$3.54 HK$27.80

-24.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.05 $2.05

$25.12 HK$197

-91.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.41 $9.41

$8.89 HK$69.8

5.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.78 $15.78

$17.63 HK$138

-10.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$4.11 HK$32.22

-19.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$2.72 HK$21.32

-31.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 $2.49

$4.59 HK$36.05

-45.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.26 $2.26

$4.02 HK$31.52

-43.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 $1.24

$3.25 HK$25.50

-61.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 $1.15

$3.27 HK$25.70

-64.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 $0.85

$1.60 HK$12.54

-46.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.73 HK$13.56

-43.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$13.14 HK$103

-76.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.95 $11.95

$16.59 HK$130

-27.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.19 $2.19

$2.01 HK$15.80

8.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$2.18 HK$17.13

32.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 $0.24

$1.44 HK$11.31

-83.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.78 $29.78

$89.1 HK$699

-66.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 $3.52

$3.64 HK$28.53

-3.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.58 $3.58

$1.31 HK$10.29

173.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.75 $19.75

$15.82 HK$124

24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 $1.44

$4.06 HK$31.89

-64.53%

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

$18.0K $18.0K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-59.47%

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

$16.7K $16.7K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-55.25%

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

$152 $152

$247 HK$1,942

-38.68%

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

$27.49 $27.49

$15.89 HK$125

73.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.46 $49.46

$91.4 HK$717

-45.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

Cinema Ticket

$6.17 $6.17

$13.96 HK$110

-55.80%

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

$1,477 $1,477

$1,155 HK$9,067

27.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K $16.1K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-27.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.0 $61.0

$68.9 HK$541

-11.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.46 $30.46

$40.44 HK$317

-24.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.3 $79.3

$79.9 HK$627

-0.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.3 $60.3

$118 HK$923

-48.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$831 $831

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-61.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$759 $759

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-55.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,739 $2,739

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-45.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,504 $1,504

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-57.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,656 $3,656

$3,228 HK$25.3K

13.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.37

3.91

37.34%

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

Last update for Dili: 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

Dili

$759 47.9%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 126% $959

Groceries & Markets

Dili

$275 17.3%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 51.1% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dili

$179 * 11.3%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 58.9% $106

Eating Out

Dili

$154 9.7%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 33% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Dili

$104 6.6%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 32.9% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Dili

$62 3.9%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 93% $57

Getting Around

Dili

$52 3.3%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 101% $53

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $831 in Dili versus $2,180 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 13% higher in Dili, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $275 vs $415 – making Dili the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇱 Dili

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

17:36 5:36 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h behind Dili

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,323 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

HKD to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dili Hong Kong 3,650 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dili
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

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

Yes – Hong Kong is pricier by about 90%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,361 per month in Dili and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dili, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Dili and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,574 in Dili and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dili, where all-in costs run around $1,574, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Dili it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dili – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Dili. 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.