Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong (China) and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,462 a month against $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong (China) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong (China)
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Hong Kong (China) Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,046

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong (China) and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,046 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hong Kong (China) $3,046
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $4,715 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hong Kong (China) $4,715
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $6,384 per month in Hong Kong (China) vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Hong Kong (China) $6,384
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) 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 24% higher than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Hong Kong (China) and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Hong Kong (China) by 124%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.47 HK$66.5

$21.48 £16.15

-60.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$85.7 £64.4

-24.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.25 HK$49.02

$10.61 £7.98

-41.09%

Cappuccino

$5.17 HK$40.58

$4.91 £3.69

5.30%

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

$1.31 HK$10.28

$2.66 £2.00

-50.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.88

$1.87 £1.40

-39.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.44 HK$58.4

$6.63 £4.98

12.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 HK$51.3

$6.84 £5.14

-4.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.76

$1.68 £1.26

72.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.35 HK$18.47

$1.72 £1.29

36.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 HK$17.68

$2.17 £1.63

3.69%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.10

$4.00 £3.01

-13.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.79 HK$194

$9.42 £7.08

163.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.85 HK$69.4

$9.19 £6.90

-3.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.08 HK$142

$14.77 £11.10

22.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.05 HK$31.77

$2.97 £2.23

36.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.62 HK$20.55

$1.62 £1.22

61.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.71 HK$36.93

$2.85 £2.15

65.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.95 HK$30.95

$3.52 £2.65

12.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.21 HK$25.15

$1.83 £1.38

75.41%

Onion (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.24

$1.61 £1.21

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 HK$13.00

$1.25 £0.94

32.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 HK$13.92

$1.66 £1.25

6.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.43 HK$105

$23.65 £17.77

-43.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 HK$119

$10.50 £7.89

44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 HK$15.50

$2.98 £2.24

-33.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 HK$17.95

$3.51 £2.64

-34.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.34 HK$10.50

$3.98 £2.99

-66.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.5 HK$702

$107 £80.7

-16.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 HK$29.22

$5.18 £3.89

-27.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 HK$10.66

$2.35 £1.76

-42.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.00 HK$126

$26.84 £20.17

-40.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.98 HK$31.21

$1.99 £1.49

100.00%

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

$44.5K HK$348.9K

$39.4K £29.6K

12.74%

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

$37.6K HK$295.3K

$40.5K £30.4K

-7.01%

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

$239 HK$1,878

$327 £246

-26.83%

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

$15.99 HK$125

$18.21 £13.69

-12.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.59 HK$169

$43.60 £32.77

-50.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.3 HK$771

$42.36 £31.83

132.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.38 HK$73.6

$18.22 £13.69

-48.52%

Cinema Ticket

$12.59 HK$98.8

$13.85 £10.41

-9.10%

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

$1,280 HK$10.0K

$1,868 £1,404

-31.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K HK$177.3K

$22.6K £17.0K

-0.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.8 HK$531

$92.9 £69.8

-27.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.21 HK$339

$45.92 £34.51

-5.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 HK$650

$102 £76.4

-18.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 HK$973

$102 £76.8

21.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,373 HK$18.6K

$1,342 £1,009

76.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 HK$13.9K

$1,073 £807

65.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,399 HK$42.4K

$2,231 £1,677

141.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,614 HK$28.4K

$1,742 £1,309

107.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.5K HK$231.1K

$5,601 £4,210

426.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.9K HK$140.2K

$4,265 £3,205

318.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,297 HK$25.9K

$3,349 £2,517

-1.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.32

-28.76%

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 the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong (China)

$1.8K 58.3%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 39.6% $704

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong (China)

$412 13.5%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 25.4% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong (China)

$277 9.1%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 40.4% $112

Eating Out

Hong Kong (China)

$209 6.9%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 57% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong (China)

$143 4.7%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 7.8% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong (China)

$124 4.1%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 43.3% $53

Getting Around

Hong Kong (China)

$105 3.5%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 33.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $2,432 in Hong Kong (China) vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $2,432 in Hong Kong and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $3,264 in Hong Kong (China) vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Dining out costs 32% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 15% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

17:30 5:30 PM

09:30 9:30 AM

8 h behind Hong Kong (China)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,413,070

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.115 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.836 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong (China) United Kingdom 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong (China)
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 19% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Hong Kong (China): a central one-bedroom averages $2,432 versus $1,287 in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.