Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Forbes and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Forbes: $2,543 a month against $3,028 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

122

Cost of Living Index in Forbes
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Forbes Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

Jump to prices

Forbes

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,543

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,028

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,543 in Forbes versus $3,028 in Hong Kong.

Forbes $2,543
Hong Kong $3,028

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,751 in Forbes versus $4,727 in Hong Kong.

Forbes $3,751
Hong Kong $4,727

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,958 in Forbes versus $6,426 in Hong Kong.

Forbes $4,958
Hong Kong $6,426

Living in Forbes costs roughly 16% less than in Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Forbes 87% above, Hong Kong 123% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.91 A$22.61

$8.11 HK$63.6

96.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.9 A$135

$62.9 HK$493

50.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.31 A$16.07

$6.33 HK$49.65

78.67%

Cappuccino

$3.52 A$5.00

$5.03 HK$39.44

-30.02%

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

$2.99 A$4.24

$1.27 HK$9.98

135.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 A$3.37

$1.08 HK$8.47

119.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 A$9.92

$7.74 HK$60.7

-9.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.40 A$10.52

$6.55 HK$51.4

12.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 A$2.41

$2.87 HK$22.51

-41.11%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 A$3.44

$2.44 HK$19.11

-0.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 A$3.04

$2.13 HK$16.69

0.47%

Eggs

$5.00 A$7.10

$3.43 HK$26.88

45.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 A$14.44

$24.73 HK$194

-58.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.52 A$13.53

$8.86 HK$69.5

7.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.72 A$19.49

$17.81 HK$140

-22.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.78 A$5.37

$4.21 HK$33.00

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$3.01 A$4.27

$2.60 HK$20.36

15.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.55 A$5.05

$4.65 HK$36.51

-23.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$4.05 HK$31.80

21.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.55

$3.18 HK$24.97

-21.38%

Onion (1kg)

$2.55 A$3.63

$3.25 HK$25.46

-21.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 A$3.24

$1.59 HK$12.47

43.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 A$2.06

$1.72 HK$13.50

-15.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$46.43 A$66.0

$13.27 HK$104

249.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.36 A$17.57

$15.22 HK$119

-18.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.75 A$6.75

$1.93 HK$15.18

146.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 A$8.24

$2.28 HK$17.91

154.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.66 A$3.78

$1.28 HK$10.05

107.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.5 A$111

$88.0 HK$691

-10.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.70 A$5.26

$3.75 HK$29.38

-1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 A$2.45

$1.30 HK$10.23

32.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.70 A$64.9

$15.92 HK$125

187.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 A$1.78

$4.05 HK$31.80

-69.14%

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

$33.8K A$48.1K

$44.6K HK$349.5K

-24.09%

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

$28.1K A$40.0K

$37.5K HK$294.3K

-24.98%

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

$195 A$277

$242 HK$1,895

-19.30%

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

$23.66 A$33.62

$15.72 HK$123

50.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.4 A$75.8

$21.12 HK$166

152.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.1 A$84.0

$99.8 HK$783

-40.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.72 A$28.02

$9.52 HK$74.7

107.14%

Cinema Ticket

$12.05 A$17.13

$12.80 HK$100

-5.86%

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

$2,301 A$3,269

$1,287 HK$10.1K

78.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K A$30.3K

$22.0K HK$172.7K

-3.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.6 A$115

$66.7 HK$523

20.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.7 A$80.6

$42.46 HK$333

33.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 A$166

$83.6 HK$655

39.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 A$176

$122 HK$957

1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,558 A$2,213

$2,432 HK$19.1K

-35.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,278 A$1,816

$1,764 HK$13.8K

-27.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 A$3,499

$5,347 HK$41.9K

-53.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,041 A$2,901

$3,677 HK$28.8K

-44.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,228 A$7,428

$28.4K HK$223.0K

-81.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,146 A$7,312

$18.1K HK$141.8K

-71.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 HK$25.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

3.79

55.67%

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

Last update for Forbes: October 27, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Forbes

$1.3K 50.3%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.2% 38% $486

Groceries & Markets

Forbes

$364 14.3%

Hong Kong

$410 13.6% 12.8% $47

Eating Out

Forbes

$275 10.8%

Hong Kong

$205 6.8% 25.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Forbes

$272 10.7%

Hong Kong

$278 9.2% 2.4% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Forbes

$170 6.7%

Hong Kong

$142 4.7% 16.7% $28

Getting Around

Forbes

$101 4%

Hong Kong

$103 3.4% 2% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Forbes

$83 3.3%

Hong Kong

$125 4.1% 50.7% $42

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,558 in Forbes and $2,432 in Hong Kong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $95 in Forbes vs $63 in Hong Kong. Groceries flip the comparison at $364 vs $410, with Forbes cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Forbes

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

05:02 5:02 AM

3 h behind Forbes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,481

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.704 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.115 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.704 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.73 HKD (1 HKD = 0.115 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

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Forbes Hong Kong 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,543 in Forbes and $3,028 in Hong Kong, so Forbes is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $3,814 in Forbes and $4,543 in Hong Kong to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,558 in Forbes versus $2,432 in Hong Kong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $2,543 per month in Forbes versus $3,028 in Hong Kong – Forbes is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Forbes runs roughly 11% less than in Hong Kong. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $2,543 in Forbes versus $3,028 in Hong Kong, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Forbes but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Forbes 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, Forbes and Hong Kong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.