Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong (China) and India

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $399 a month against $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), rent and utilities included – about $31,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong (China)
India
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,046
/mo nomad
🇮🇳 India
$399
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong (China) and in India

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hong Kong (China) and in India actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,046 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $399 in India, rent included.

  • Hong Kong (China) $3,046
  • India $399

A couple spends around $4,715 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $639 in India, rent included.

  • Hong Kong (China) $4,715
  • India $639

A family of three spends $6,384 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $879 in India, rent included.

  • Hong Kong (China) $6,384
  • India $879

The regional cost range is wider in India ($230–$813) than in Hong Kong (China) ($3,028–$3,028), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Hong Kong (China) is about 663% higher than in India on average.

Hong Kong (China) sits 124% above the global median, while India is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.47 HK$66.5
$2.14 ₹204
295.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$10.46 ₹995
518.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.25 HK$49.02
$3.80 ₹361
64.47%
Cappuccino
$5.17 HK$40.58
$1.68 ₹160
207.74%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.28
$0.38 ₹35.99
244.74%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 HK$8.88
$0.15 ₹14.60
653.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.44 HK$58.4
$1.87 ₹178
297.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.54 HK$51.3
$3.18 ₹303
105.66%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.90 HK$22.76
$0.62 ₹59.2
367.74%
White Bread (500g)
$2.35 HK$18.47
$0.50 ₹47.76
370.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.25 HK$17.68
$0.63 ₹60.3
257.14%
Eggs
$3.45 HK$27.10
$0.96 ₹91.3
259.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.79 HK$194
$4.85 ₹461
411.13%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.85 HK$69.4
$2.84 ₹271
211.62%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.08 HK$142
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$4.05 HK$31.77
$2.00 ₹190
102.50%
Banana (1kg)
$2.62 HK$20.55
$0.65 ₹61.4
303.08%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.71 HK$36.93
$0.97 ₹92.3
385.57%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.95 HK$30.95
$0.47 ₹44.30
740.43%
Potato (1kg)
$3.21 HK$25.15
$0.34 ₹31.87
844.12%
Onion (1kg)
$3.22 HK$25.24
$0.42 ₹39.73
666.67%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.66 HK$13.00
$0.47 ₹44.39
253.19%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 HK$13.92
$0.31 ₹29.67
470.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.43 HK$105
$5.08 ₹483
164.37%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.22 HK$119
$7.31 ₹695
108.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 HK$15.50
$1.63 ₹155
21.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.29 HK$17.95
$2.76 ₹262
-17.03%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$5.11 ₹486
-
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.34 HK$10.50
$0.26 ₹24.86
415.38%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.5 HK$702
$8.58 ₹816
943.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 HK$29.22
$1.00 ₹94.7
273.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.36 HK$10.66
$0.27 ₹25.74
403.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.00 HK$126
$1.54 ₹146
938.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$3.98 HK$31.21
$1.07 ₹102
271.96%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.5K HK$348.9K
$11.2K ₹1.1M
296.60%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K HK$295.3K
$20.1K ₹1.9M
87.77%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$239 HK$1,878
$37.08 ₹3,527
545.63%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.99 HK$125
$3.58 ₹340
346.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.59 HK$169
$7.15 ₹680
201.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$98.3 HK$771
$15.00 ₹1,427
555.60%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.38 HK$73.6
$7.17 ₹682
30.82%
Cinema Ticket
$12.59 HK$98.8
$3.20 ₹304
293.44%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,280 HK$10.0K
$58.8 ₹5,592
2076.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.6K HK$177.3K
$1,667 ₹158.5K
1256.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.8 HK$531
$23.03 ₹2,191
194.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.21 HK$339
$24.17 ₹2,299
78.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$82.9 HK$650
$41.20 ₹3,918
101.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$124 HK$973
$29.62 ₹2,817
318.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,373 HK$18.6K
$146 ₹13.9K
1519.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,777 HK$13.9K
$96.4 ₹9,165
1743.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,399 HK$42.4K
$343 ₹32.6K
1474.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,614 HK$28.4K
$234 ₹22.2K
1445.76%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.5K HK$231.1K
$1,177 ₹111.9K
2403.51%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.9K HK$140.2K
$633 ₹60.2K
2721.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong (China)
India
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,297 HK$25.9K
$409 ₹38.9K
706.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.79
8.93
-57.56%

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

Last update for Hong Kong (China): October 25, 2026

Last update for India: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong (China)
$1.8K
India
$96 94.6% $1.7K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong (China)
$412
India
$102 75.2% $309
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong (China)
$277
India
$48 82.7% $229
Eating Out
Hong Kong (China)
$209
India
$67 68.1% $142
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong (China)
$143
India
$53 62.9% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong (China)
$124
India
$21 82.7% $102
Getting Around
Hong Kong (China)
$105
India
$12 88.6% $93

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $2,432 in Hong Kong (China) vs $120 in India. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,432 in Hong Kong and $277 in Delhi.

Average salary: $3,264 in Hong Kong (China) vs $412 in India. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1927% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Dining out costs 473% more in Hong Kong (China).

Public transport is 1000% more expensive in Hong Kong (China).

Salaries are about 7.9 times higher in Hong Kong (China).

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
🇮🇳 India
🕒 Local time
13:01 1:01 PM
10:31 10:31 AM
2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong (China)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
7,413,070
1,326,093,247
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.74 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 95.1 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong (China) India 3,760 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong (China)
  • India

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
Hong Kong (China) vs India: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Hong Kong (China) or India?
India is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 87% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Hong Kong (China) or in India?
Housing costs more in Hong Kong (China): a central one-bedroom averages $2,432 versus $120 in India.
How do daily expenses compare in Hong Kong (China) vs India?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in India, adding to the overall 663% price gap.
Which country is better for expats: Hong Kong (China) or India?
India is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Hong Kong (China) vs other spots: cost of living compared

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