Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyeongju and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyeongju: $1,228 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Gyeongju
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Gyeongju Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Gyeongju

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,228

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,228 per month in Gyeongju vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,228
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,988 per month in Gyeongju vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Gyeongju $1,988
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $2,748 per month in Gyeongju vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Gyeongju $2,748
Hong Kong $6,183

Gyeongju is about 59% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Gyeongju sits 9% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 121% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.61 ₩10.1K

$7.75 HK$60.8

-1.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.01 ₩63.8K

$64.7 HK$508

-25.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.51 ₩8,653

$6.18 HK$48.51

5.34%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$5.08 HK$39.85

-40.55%

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

$1.10 ₩1,457

$1.31 HK$10.31

-16.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₩469

$1.09 HK$8.56

-67.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ₩3,442

$7.47 HK$58.6

-65.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 ₩5,764

$6.50 HK$51.0

-33.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 ₩3,073

$2.89 HK$22.71

-20.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 ₩3,280

$2.31 HK$18.14

6.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 ₩4,164

$2.13 HK$16.71

46.95%

Eggs

$2.60 ₩3,451

$3.52 HK$27.65

-26.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.06 ₩14.7K

$24.72 HK$194

-55.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.33 ₩13.7K

$8.52 HK$66.9

21.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.49 ₩24.6K

$18.00 HK$141

2.72%

Apples (1kg)

$4.50 ₩5,985

$4.18 HK$32.79

7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 ₩3,411

$2.68 HK$21.07

-4.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 ₩5,075

$4.49 HK$35.22

-14.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.67 ₩4,879

$4.03 HK$31.66

-8.93%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 ₩3,398

$3.12 HK$24.51

-17.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 ₩2,897

$3.15 HK$24.72

-30.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 ₩2,917

$1.62 HK$12.75

35.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 ₩1,766

$1.74 HK$13.66

-23.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ₩4,571

$13.50 HK$106

-74.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.77 ₩19.6K

$16.54 HK$130

-10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 ₩1,515

$1.94 HK$15.19

-41.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ₩2,949

$2.18 HK$17.11

1.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 ₩1,409

$1.41 HK$11.04

-24.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ₩3,895

$3.69 HK$28.94

-20.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 ₩1,046

$1.32 HK$10.36

-40.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.57 ₩22.0K

$15.77 HK$124

5.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₩1,354

$4.03 HK$31.65

-74.69%

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

$29.6K ₩39.3M

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-33.82%

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

$34.0K ₩45.2M

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-9.97%

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

$80.6 ₩107.1K

$250 HK$1,959

-67.73%

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

$36.83 ₩49.0K

$15.60 HK$122

136.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.20 ₩36.2K

$21.77 HK$171

24.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.1 ₩69.3K

$94.2 HK$739

-44.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.96 ₩15.9K

$9.29 HK$72.9

28.74%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 ₩14.7K

$13.91 HK$109

-20.63%

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

$639 ₩849.8K

$1,162 HK$9,122

-45.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K ₩29.5M

$21.9K HK$171.6K

1.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.34 ₩60.3K

$68.0 HK$534

-33.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.41 ₩29.8K

$41.91 HK$329

-46.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ₩121.9K

$79.7 HK$626

14.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 ₩170.8K

$122 HK$956

5.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ₩635.9K

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-78.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$366 ₩486.7K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-78.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 ₩1.5M

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-76.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$732 ₩972.7K

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-78.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,249 ₩9.6M

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-75.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,416 ₩7.2M

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-69.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,841 ₩2.4M

$3,271 HK$25.7K

-43.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.91

7.93%

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

Last update for Gyeongju: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gyeongju

$366 29.8%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 369% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Gyeongju

$359 29.2%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 14.4% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gyeongju

$145 11.8%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 98.5% $142

Eating Out

Gyeongju

$144 11.7%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 39.8% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Gyeongju

$130 10.6%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 8.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gyeongju

$74 6%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 64.4% $48

Getting Around

Gyeongju

$11 * 0.9%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 842% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Gyeongju 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 78% 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 $48.00 in Gyeongju versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $411 – making Gyeongju the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Gyeongju

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h behind Gyeongju

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

258,156

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Gyeongju Hong Kong 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Gyeongju
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

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

Yes – Hong Kong is pricier by about 143%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,843 per month in Gyeongju 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 Gyeongju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,228 in Gyeongju and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 143%.

Kindergarten costs $639 per month in Gyeongju and $1,162 in Hong Kong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gyeongju, where all-in costs run around $1,228, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Gyeongju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gyeongju – 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 Gyeongju. 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.