Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Chungju

For one person, living is cheaper in Chungju: $1,450 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Chungju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,450
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,450 in Chungju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Chungju $1,450

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,285 in Chungju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,584
  • Chungju $2,285

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,121 in Chungju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,183
  • Chungju $3,121

Hong Kong costs about 106% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hong Kong and Chungju sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, Chungju by 7%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.75 HK$60.8
$7.39 ₩9,829
4.87%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$47.62 ₩63.3K
35.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 HK$48.51
$6.59 ₩8,761
-6.22%
Cappuccino
$5.08 HK$39.85
$3.70 ₩4,915
37.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.31
$1.81 ₩2,401
-27.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 HK$8.56
$1.41 ₩1,870
-22.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.47 HK$58.6
$3.82 ₩5,074
95.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 HK$51.0
$4.36 ₩5,797
49.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.89 HK$22.71
$2.28 ₩3,036
26.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 HK$18.14
$3.01 ₩4,007
-23.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.71
$3.05 ₩4,054
-30.16%
Eggs
$3.52 HK$27.65
$2.63 ₩3,498
33.84%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.72 HK$194
$11.21 ₩14.9K
120.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 HK$66.9
$7.67 ₩10.2K
11.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.00 HK$141
$24.54 ₩32.6K
-26.65%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 HK$32.79
$8.71 ₩11.6K
-52.01%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 HK$21.07
$3.59 ₩4,769
-25.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 HK$35.22
$8.12 ₩10.8K
-44.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 HK$31.66
$5.79 ₩7,697
-30.40%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 HK$24.51
$5.87 ₩7,810
-46.85%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 HK$24.72
$3.39 ₩4,505
-7.08%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 HK$12.75
$2.76 ₩3,670
-41.30%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.66
$1.29 ₩1,714
34.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.50 HK$106
$3.35 ₩4,449
302.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.54 HK$130
$18.30 ₩24.3K
-9.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 HK$15.19
$2.39 ₩3,180
-18.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.11
$2.94 ₩3,913
-25.85%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 HK$11.04
$1.14 ₩1,518
23.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 HK$696
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 HK$28.94
$3.60 ₩4,785
2.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 HK$10.36
$0.74 ₩983
78.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.77 HK$124
$16.81 ₩22.3K
-6.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.03 HK$31.65
$1.35 ₩1,790
198.52%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K HK$350.5K
$29.6K ₩39.4M
50.90%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K HK$296.6K
$34.1K ₩45.4M
10.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 HK$1,959
$201 ₩266.7K
24.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.60 HK$122
$26.62 ₩35.4K
-41.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.77 HK$171
$27.03 ₩35.9K
-19.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.2 HK$739
$52.1 ₩69.2K
80.89%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 HK$72.9
$12.15 ₩16.2K
-23.54%
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 HK$109
$11.74 ₩15.6K
18.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,162 HK$9,122
$632 ₩840.9K
83.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K HK$171.6K
$21.6K ₩28.7M
1.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$534
$73.4 ₩97.6K
-7.35%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.91 HK$329
$38.03 ₩50.6K
10.20%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 HK$626
$75.5 ₩100.4K
5.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$113 ₩150.3K
7.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 HK$17.6K
$490 ₩652.0K
357.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$356 ₩473.4K
382.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,041 HK$39.6K
$1,179 ₩1.6M
327.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,435 HK$27.0K
$733 ₩974.6K
368.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.2K HK$229.0K
$7,100 ₩9.4M
310.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$5,588 ₩7.4M
214.42%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Chungju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,271 HK$25.7K
$1,678 ₩2.2M
94.96%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
4.22
-7.35%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chungju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Chungju
$356 79.3% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$411
Chungju
$453 10.3% $42
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$287
Chungju
$254 11.4% $33
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$201
Chungju
$164 18.6% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$140
Chungju
$135 3.7% $5.1
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$122
Chungju
$76 38.1% $46
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Chungju
$12 * 88.7% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $490 in Chungju. 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 95% 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 $48.00 in Chungju. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Hong Kong vs $453 in Chungju – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇰🇷 Chungju
🕒 Local time
02:38 2:38 AM
03:38 3:38 AM
1 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
208,529
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Chungju 2,100 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Chungju

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 Chungju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Hong Kong or Chungju?
Hong Kong costs about 106% more than Chungju, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Hong Kong and in Chungju?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,175 in Chungju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Hong Kong or Chungju?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chungju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Hong Kong compared to Chungju?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,450 in Chungju. That's a gap of about 106%.
How do childcare costs compare in Hong Kong and in Chungju?
Kindergarten costs $1,162 per month in Hong Kong and $632 in Chungju. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Hong Kong or in Chungju?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chungju, where all-in costs run around $1,450, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Chungju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Hong Kong or Chungju?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chungju costs $1,450 versus $2,984 in Hong Kong. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Hong Kong compared to Chungju?
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.
Should I move to Hong Kong or to Chungju?
If budget matters most, go with Chungju. 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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