Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Gold Coast

For one person, living costs are similar in Hong Kong and in Gold Coast: $3,028 and $2,922 a month, rent and utilities included.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Gold Coast
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Gold Coast Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,028

/mo nomad

Gold Coast

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Gold Coast

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,028 in Hong Kong versus $2,922 in Gold Coast.

Hong Kong $3,028
Gold Coast $2,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,727 in Hong Kong versus $4,497 in Gold Coast.

Hong Kong $4,727
Gold Coast $4,497

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,426 in Hong Kong versus $6,073 in Gold Coast.

Hong Kong $6,426
Gold Coast $6,073

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 4% more expensive than in Gold Coast, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hong Kong 123% above, Gold Coast 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 HK$63.6

$20.81 A$29.59

-61.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 HK$493

$105 A$149

-39.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 HK$49.65

$10.62 A$15.09

-40.40%

Cappuccino

$5.03 HK$39.44

$3.76 A$5.34

33.78%

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

$1.27 HK$9.98

$2.83 A$4.02

-55.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 HK$8.47

$2.46 A$3.50

-56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 HK$60.7

$7.77 A$11.05

-0.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 HK$51.4

$7.51 A$10.68

-12.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.87 HK$22.51

$1.57 A$2.23

82.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 HK$19.11

$2.65 A$3.76

-7.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.69

$2.36 A$3.35

-9.75%

Eggs

$3.43 HK$26.88

$4.90 A$6.97

-30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.73 HK$194

$9.09 A$12.93

172.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 HK$69.5

$9.50 A$13.51

-6.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 HK$140

$14.71 A$20.92

21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$32.99

$3.95 A$5.61

6.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 HK$20.36

$3.19 A$4.54

-18.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 HK$36.51

$3.47 A$4.93

34.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$4.16 A$5.91

-2.64%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 HK$24.97

$2.59 A$3.68

22.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.46

$2.48 A$3.53

31.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 HK$12.47

$2.45 A$3.48

-35.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 HK$13.50

$2.32 A$3.30

-25.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.27 HK$104

$45.55 A$64.8

-70.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 HK$119

$14.19 A$20.17

7.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 HK$15.17

$5.73 A$8.15

-66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.91

$6.73 A$9.56

-66.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.05

$2.73 A$3.88

-53.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 HK$691

$56.0 A$79.7

57.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 HK$29.38

$2.22 A$3.15

68.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.23

$1.65 A$2.34

-21.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.92 HK$125

$36.90 A$52.5

-56.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$1.38 A$1.96

193.48%

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

$44.6K HK$349.5K

$29.2K A$41.5K

52.61%

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

$37.5K HK$294.3K

$26.6K A$37.8K

40.98%

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

$242 HK$1,895

$218 A$310

10.72%

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

$15.72 HK$123

$31.16 A$44.31

-49.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 HK$166

$54.4 A$77.4

-61.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.8 HK$783

$60.7 A$86.3

64.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 HK$74.7

$17.58 A$25.00

-45.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 HK$100

$13.50 A$19.20

-5.19%

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

$1,287 HK$10.1K

$2,134 A$3,034

-39.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K HK$172.7K

$12.1K A$17.2K

81.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 HK$523

$76.3 A$109

-12.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.46 HK$333

$53.6 A$76.2

-20.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 HK$655

$106 A$150

-21.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$124 A$176

-1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 HK$19.1K

$2,293 A$3,260

6.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 HK$13.8K

$1,588 A$2,258

11.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,347 HK$41.9K

$3,278 A$4,662

63.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,677 HK$28.8K

$2,998 A$4,263

22.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K HK$223.0K

$10.8K A$15.4K

163.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.1K HK$141.8K

$7,117 A$10.1K

154.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 HK$25.6K

$4,118 A$5,855

-20.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.69

-33.39%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gold Coast: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.2%

Gold Coast

$1.6K 54.4% 10% $176

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.6%

Gold Coast

$384 13.2% 6.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$278 9.2%

Gold Coast

$304 10.4% 9.1% $25

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.8%

Gold Coast

$318 10.9% 55.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$142 4.7%

Gold Coast

$162 5.5% 14.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$125 4.1%

Gold Coast

$88 3% 30% $38

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Gold Coast

$77 2.7% 25.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,432 in Hong Kong and $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gold Coast pays 26% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $63 in Hong Kong vs $105 in Gold Coast. Groceries flip the comparison at $410 vs $384, with Gold Coast cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Gold Coast

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

2 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

607,665

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.115 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.632 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.73 HKD (1 HKD = 0.115 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 AUD (1 AUD = 0.632 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Gold Coast 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Gold Coast

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 Gold Coast: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong and Gold Coast differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($3,028 vs $2,922 including rent). Gold Coast is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Hong Kong. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,432 in Hong Kong versus $2,293 in Gold Coast. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gold Coast runs roughly 36% less than in Hong Kong. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,287 in Hong Kong versus $2,134 in Gold Coast. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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 Gold Coast are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.