Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Exeter

For one person, living is cheaper in Exeter: $2,571 a month against $3,028 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,028

/mo nomad

Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,028 in Hong Kong versus $2,571 in Exeter.

Hong Kong $3,028
Exeter $2,571

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,727 in Hong Kong versus $3,846 in Exeter.

Hong Kong $4,727
Exeter $3,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,426 in Hong Kong versus $5,121 in Exeter.

Hong Kong $6,426
Exeter $5,121

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 18% more expensive than in Exeter, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hong Kong 123% above, Exeter 89% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 HK$63.6

$19.92 £15.00

-59.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 HK$493

$97.8 £73.6

-35.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 HK$49.65

$9.57 £7.21

-33.86%

Cappuccino

$5.03 HK$39.44

$4.96 £3.73

1.41%

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

$1.27 HK$9.98

$3.17 £2.38

-59.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 HK$8.47

$2.51 £1.89

-56.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 HK$60.7

$7.45 £5.61

3.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 HK$51.4

$6.16 £4.63

6.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.87 HK$22.51

$1.52 £1.15

88.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 HK$19.11

$1.68 £1.26

45.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.69

$1.78 £1.34

19.66%

Eggs

$3.43 HK$26.88

$4.30 £3.23

-20.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.73 HK$194

$8.70 £6.55

184.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 HK$69.5

$8.71 £6.56

1.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 HK$140

$23.73 £17.86

-24.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.00

$3.12 £2.35

34.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 HK$20.36

$1.43 £1.07

81.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 HK$36.51

$2.32 £1.75

100.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$3.19 £2.40

26.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 HK$24.97

$2.27 £1.71

40.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.46

$1.97 £1.48

64.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 HK$12.47

$1.61 £1.21

-1.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 HK$13.50

$1.95 £1.47

-11.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.27 HK$104

$23.49 £17.68

-43.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 HK$119

$9.54 £7.18

59.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 HK$15.18

$3.74 £2.82

-48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.91

$4.42 £3.33

-48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.05

$3.92 £2.95

-67.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 HK$691

$112 £84.3

-21.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 HK$29.38

$5.75 £4.32

-34.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.23

$2.53 £1.91

-48.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.92 HK$125

$23.92 £18.00

-33.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$2.04 £1.54

98.53%

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

$44.6K HK$349.5K

$38.7K £29.1K

15.13%

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

$37.5K HK$294.3K

$40.1K £30.2K

-6.54%

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

$242 HK$1,895

$469 £353

-48.46%

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

$15.72 HK$123

$15.97 £12.02

-1.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 HK$166

$47.00 £35.37

-55.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.8 HK$783

$39.72 £29.89

151.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 HK$74.7

$13.18 £9.92

-27.77%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 HK$100

$12.62 £9.50

1.43%

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

$1,287 HK$10.1K

$2,180 £1,641

-40.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K HK$172.7K

$17.6K £13.3K

24.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 HK$523

$68.0 £51.2

-1.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.46 HK$333

$31.16 £23.45

36.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 HK$655

$105 £79.3

-20.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$957

$74.2 £55.9

64.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 HK$19.1K

$1,381 £1,039

76.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 HK$13.8K

$1,050 £790

68.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,347 HK$41.9K

$2,160 £1,626

147.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,677 HK$28.8K

$1,946 £1,465

88.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K HK$223.0K

$5,743 £4,322

394.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.1K HK$141.8K

$4,565 £3,436

296.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 HK$25.6K

$3,062 £2,304

6.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.11

-25.83%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Exeter: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.2%

Exeter

$1K 40.8% 40.5% $714

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.6%

Exeter

$334 13% 18.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$278 9.2%

Exeter

$532 20.7% 91% $253

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.8%

Exeter

$320 12.4% 55.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$142 4.7%

Exeter

$125 4.9% 11.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$125 4.1%

Exeter

$65 2.5% 48.2% $60

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Exeter

$146 5.7% 41.2% $43

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,432 in Hong Kong and $1,381 in Exeter. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hong Kong pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $63 in Hong Kong vs $98 in Exeter. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $334, with Exeter cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇬🇧 Exeter

🕒 Local time

01:42 1:42 AM

17:42 5:42 PM

8 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

130,800

💱 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 = 1.19 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 = 0.753 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Exeter 9,870 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Exeter

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 Exeter: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong and Exeter differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($3,028 vs $2,571 including rent). Exeter is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Hong Kong, 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 $1,381 in Exeter. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Hong Kong – a meal for two runs $63 versus $98 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $3,028 per month in Hong Kong versus $2,571 in Exeter – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,571 in Exeter versus $3,028 in Hong Kong, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Exeter but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Exeter 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 Exeter 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 – Exeter wins on affordability, Hong Kong on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.