Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Barnsley

For one person, living is cheaper in Barnsley: $1,892 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,005
/mo nomad
Barnsley
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$1,892
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Barnsley

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,892 in Barnsley, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $3,005
  • Barnsley $1,892

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,842 in Barnsley, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,643
  • Barnsley $2,842

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,792 in Barnsley, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,281
  • Barnsley $3,792

Hong Kong costs about 59% more than Barnsley, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and Barnsley sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 122%, Barnsley by 40%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.80 HK$61.2
$24.36 £18.28
-67.98%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$83.8 £62.9
-22.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.24 HK$48.97
$10.52 £7.89
-40.68%
Cappuccino
$5.01 HK$39.34
$4.81 £3.61
4.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.29 HK$10.12
$2.39 £1.79
-46.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.11 HK$8.74
$1.62 £1.22
-31.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.77 HK$61.0
$5.94 £4.46
30.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.41 HK$50.3
$6.68 £5.01
-4.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.90 HK$22.79
$1.71 £1.28
69.59%
White Bread (500g)
$2.33 HK$18.29
$1.86 £1.39
25.27%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.23 HK$17.51
$2.01 £1.51
10.95%
Eggs
$3.45 HK$27.04
$4.00 £3.00
-13.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.96 HK$196
$8.71 £6.53
186.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.79 HK$69.0
$8.38 £6.28
4.89%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.71 HK$139
$14.58 £10.94
21.47%
Apples (1kg)
$4.15 HK$32.59
$2.99 £2.24
38.80%
Banana (1kg)
$2.63 HK$20.62
$1.93 £1.44
36.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.54 HK$35.65
$2.61 £1.96
73.95%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.09 HK$32.08
$2.95 £2.22
38.64%
Potato (1kg)
$3.22 HK$25.25
$1.90 £1.42
69.47%
Onion (1kg)
$3.26 HK$25.56
$1.62 £1.22
101.23%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.65 HK$12.94
$1.51 £1.13
9.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.62
$1.46 £1.09
19.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.45 HK$106
$23.72 £17.80
-43.30%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.16 HK$119
$11.36 £8.52
33.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.97 HK$15.44
$3.45 £2.59
-42.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 HK$17.42
$3.29 £2.47
-32.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.28 HK$10.04
$2.61 £1.96
-50.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$90.1 HK$707
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.67 HK$28.84
$5.24 £3.93
-29.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 HK$10.60
$1.38 £1.04
-2.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.21 HK$127
$19.06 £14.30
-14.95%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.20 HK$32.94
$1.99 £1.49
111.06%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.9K HK$352.2K
$38.3K £28.8K
17.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.8K HK$288.9K
$40.8K £30.6K
-9.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$238 HK$1,865
$283 £213
-16.16%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.70 HK$123
$20.34 £15.26
-22.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.91 HK$172
$43.95 £32.97
-50.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$91.1 HK$715
$67.2 £50.4
35.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.14 HK$71.8
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.96 HK$102
$12.68 £9.51
2.21%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,172 HK$9,201
$1,486 £1,115
-21.12%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.2K HK$174.2K
$16.4K £12.3K
35.67%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$67.9 HK$533
$60.0 £45.04
13.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.57 HK$342
$41.02 £30.77
6.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.1 HK$652
$92.8 £69.6
-10.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$123 HK$963
$79.6 £59.8
54.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,255 HK$17.7K
$921 £691
144.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,752 HK$13.7K
$660 £495
165.31%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,173 HK$40.6K
$1,347 £1,010
284.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,543 HK$27.8K
$1,101 £826
221.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.3K HK$229.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.5K HK$137.1K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Barnsley
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,285 HK$25.8K
$2,966 £2,225
10.76%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.79
5.61
-32.44%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Barnsley: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.8K
Barnsley
$660 62.3% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$410
Barnsley
$302 26.4% $108
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$275
Barnsley
$348 26.3% $72
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$203
Barnsley
$343 69.5% $141
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$143
Barnsley
$123 13.8% $20
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$117
Barnsley
$93 20.9% $24
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$106
Barnsley
$23 * 78.6% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $921 in Barnsley. 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 11% 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 $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $84.0 in Barnsley. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Hong Kong vs $302 in Barnsley – so Barnsley wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇬🇧 Barnsley
🕒 Local time
21:17 9:17 PM
14:17 2:17 PM
7 h behind Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
245,199
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Barnsley 9,580 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Barnsley

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 vs Barnsley: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Barnsley cheaper than Hong Kong?
Yes – Hong Kong is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $2,838 in Barnsley. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Barnsley, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Hong Kong and in Barnsley?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,005 in Hong Kong and $1,892 in Barnsley. That's a gap of about 59%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $1,172 per month in Hong Kong and $1,486 in Barnsley. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,500 a realistic budget for living in Hong Kong or in Barnsley?
A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Barnsley, where all-in costs run around $1,892, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Barnsley it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Hong Kong or Barnsley more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Barnsley – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Hong Kong or Barnsley?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Barnsley. 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.

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