Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Boryeong

For one person, living is cheaper in Boryeong: $1,491 a month against $3,028 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Boryeong
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Boryeong Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,028

/mo nomad

Boryeong

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,491

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Boryeong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,028 in Hong Kong versus $1,491 in Boryeong.

Hong Kong $3,028
Boryeong $1,491

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,727 in Hong Kong versus $2,407 in Boryeong.

Hong Kong $4,727
Boryeong $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,426 in Hong Kong versus $3,324 in Boryeong.

Hong Kong $6,426
Boryeong $3,324

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 103% more expensive than in Boryeong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hong Kong 123% above, Boryeong 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 HK$63.6

$8.93 ₩11.8K

-9.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 HK$493

$68.1 ₩90.3K

-7.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 HK$49.65

$7.32 ₩9,710

-13.52%

Cappuccino

$5.03 HK$39.44

$4.08 ₩5,408

23.28%

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

$1.27 HK$9.98

$1.56 ₩2,071

-18.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 HK$8.47

$0.75 ₩990

44.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 HK$60.7

$3.77 ₩5,002

105.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 HK$51.4

$5.85 ₩7,768

11.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.87 HK$22.51

$2.12 ₩2,812

35.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 HK$19.11

$3.15 ₩4,178

-22.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.69

$4.19 ₩5,556

-49.16%

Eggs

$3.43 HK$26.88

$3.53 ₩4,678

-2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.73 HK$194

$17.85 ₩23.7K

38.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 HK$69.5

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-16.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 HK$140

$26.69 ₩35.4K

-33.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$32.99

$7.90 ₩10.5K

-46.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 HK$20.36

$3.38 ₩4,491

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 HK$36.51

$5.76 ₩7,643

-19.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$6.16 ₩8,172

-34.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 HK$24.97

$3.68 ₩4,887

-13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.46

$2.62 ₩3,478

24.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 HK$12.47

$2.92 ₩3,880

-45.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 HK$13.50

$1.14 ₩1,514

50.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.27 HK$104

$3.48 ₩4,616

281.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 HK$119

$18.49 ₩24.5K

-17.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 HK$15.17

$2.28 ₩3,024

-15.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.91

$3.27 ₩4,337

-30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.05

$1.16 ₩1,540

10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 HK$691

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 HK$29.38

$3.65 ₩4,841

2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.23

$0.64 ₩853

103.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.92 HK$125

$8.75 ₩11.6K

81.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$1.45 ₩1,929

179.31%

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

$44.6K HK$349.5K

$29.2K ₩38.7M

52.61%

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

$37.5K HK$294.3K

$28.5K ₩37.9M

31.43%

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

$242 HK$1,895

$212 ₩281.9K

13.69%

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

$15.72 HK$123

$35.99 ₩47.8K

-56.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 HK$166

$20.61 ₩27.3K

2.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.8 HK$783

$54.2 ₩72.0K

83.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 HK$74.7

$14.07 ₩18.7K

-32.34%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 HK$100

$11.14 ₩14.8K

14.90%

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

$1,287 HK$10.1K

$379 ₩503.3K

239.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K HK$172.7K

$22.5K ₩29.8M

-2.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 HK$523

$58.5 ₩77.7K

13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.46 HK$333

$32.86 ₩43.6K

29.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 HK$655

$69.3 ₩92.0K

20.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$84.1 ₩111.5K

45.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 HK$19.1K

$489 ₩648.4K

397.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 HK$13.8K

$361 ₩479.2K

388.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,347 HK$41.9K

$1,184 ₩1.6M

351.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,677 HK$28.8K

$758 ₩1.0M

385.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K HK$223.0K

$7,113 ₩9.4M

299.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.1K HK$141.8K

$5,616 ₩7.5M

221.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 HK$25.6K

$1,484 ₩2.0M

119.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

4.08

-7.11%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Boryeong: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.2%

Boryeong

$361 24.2% 79.5% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.6%

Boryeong

$481 32.2% 17.1% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$278 9.2%

Boryeong

$269 18% 3.4% $9.3

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.8%

Boryeong

$182 12.2% 11.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$142 4.7%

Boryeong

$110 7.4% 22.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$125 4.1%

Boryeong

$77 5.1% 39% $49

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Boryeong

$12 * 0.8% 88.9% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,432 in Hong Kong and $489 in Boryeong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hong Kong pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $63 in Hong Kong vs $68 in Boryeong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $410 vs $481 per month, with Hong Kong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇰🇷 Boryeong

🕒 Local time

18:03 6:03 PM

19:03 7:03 PM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

103,620

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.115 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, 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).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Boryeong 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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Boryeong

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 Boryeong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong and Boryeong differ by about 103% in total monthly costs ($3,028 vs $1,491 including rent). Boryeong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Hong Kong is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,432 in Hong Kong versus $489 in Boryeong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,287 in Hong Kong versus $379 in Boryeong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hong Kong – a meal for two runs $63 versus $68 in Boryeong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,491 in Boryeong versus $3,028 in Hong Kong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boryeong but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Boryeong 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, Hong Kong and Boryeong are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Boryeong wins on affordability, Hong Kong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.