Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Canberra

For one person, living is cheaper in Canberra: $2,791 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
138

Cost of Living Index in Canberra
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Canberra Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Canberra

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,791 in Canberra, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Canberra $2,791

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,958 in Canberra, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Canberra $3,958

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $5,125 in Canberra, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Canberra $5,125

Hong Kong costs about 7% more than Canberra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and Canberra sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Canberra by 108%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$17.14 A$24.53

-50.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$88.3 A$126

-28.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$10.50 A$15.03

-40.95%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$3.94 A$5.63

24.37%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$3.17 A$4.54

-59.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$2.63 A$3.76

-59.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$8.32 A$11.90

-7.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$9.73 A$13.93

-35.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.50 A$2.14

90.67%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$3.21 A$4.60

-24.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$2.64 A$3.78

-17.42%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$5.25 A$7.51

-32.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$13.07 A$18.71

92.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$10.16 A$14.54

-12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$15.48 A$22.15

13.89%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$3.93 A$5.63

4.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$3.09 A$4.43

-11.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$3.59 A$5.14

27.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$5.09 A$7.28

-21.02%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$3.05 A$4.36

6.56%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$2.77 A$3.96

18.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$2.46 A$3.51

-34.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$1.64 A$2.34

5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$44.29 A$63.4

-70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$14.17 A$20.28

17.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$4.80 A$6.87

-58.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$5.65 A$8.08

-61.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$2.86 A$4.09

-49.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$93.0 A$133

-4.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$3.96 A$5.67

-8.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$1.63 A$2.33

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$42.39 A$60.7

-62.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.31 A$1.87

209.92%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$27.4K A$39.3K

61.67%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$29.3K A$41.9K

27.59%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$179 A$256

38.17%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$26.92 A$38.53

-40.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$54.9 A$78.5

-60.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$83.2 A$119

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$27.11 A$38.80

-66.51%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$15.51 A$22.20

-9.99%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$2,382 A$3,410

-51.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$20.0K A$28.7K

11.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$76.6 A$110

-10.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$55.4 A$79.3

-27.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$115 A$164

-30.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$132 A$189

-11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$1,711 A$2,449

27.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$1,467 A$2,100

17.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$3,098 A$4,433

62.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$1,968 A$2,816

80.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$11.2K A$16.0K

160.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$7,417 A$10.6K

136.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$4,310 A$6,168

-25.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.95

-34.29%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Canberra: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Canberra

$1.5K 51.8% 14.6% $251

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Canberra

$401 14.2% 3.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Canberra

$261 9.2% 8.4% $24

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Canberra

$300 10.6% 46.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Canberra

$171 6% 23.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Canberra

$114 4% 4.3% $5.1

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Canberra

$117 4.1% 11% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $1,711 in Canberra. 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 34% higher in Canberra, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $88.0 in Canberra. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Hong Kong vs $401 in Canberra – so Canberra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Canberra

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

23:10 11:10 PM

3 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

466,566 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Canberra 7,390 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Canberra

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 Canberra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $2,791 in Canberra – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $4,187 in Canberra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Canberra, 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 $2,984 in Hong Kong and $2,791 in Canberra. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Canberra. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,984 in Hong Kong and $2,791 in Canberra. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,791 in Canberra to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Canberra. 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.