Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Grafton

For one person, living is cheaper in Grafton: $2,437 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Grafton
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Grafton Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Grafton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong versus $2,437 in Grafton.

Hong Kong $2,984
Grafton $2,437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,584 in Hong Kong versus $3,470 in Grafton.

Hong Kong $4,584
Grafton $3,470

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,183 in Hong Kong versus $4,504 in Grafton.

Hong Kong $6,183
Grafton $4,504

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 22% more expensive than in Grafton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hong Kong 121% above, Grafton 81% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$17.31 A$24.90

-55.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$70.8 A$102

-8.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$11.35 A$16.33

-45.55%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.28 A$4.72

54.88%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$2.74 A$3.95

-52.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$2.51 A$3.61

-56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$8.37 A$12.05

-10.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$8.55 A$12.30

-23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.14 A$1.64

153.51%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$2.72 A$3.91

-15.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$2.29 A$3.29

-6.99%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$3.65 A$5.25

-3.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$8.99 A$12.94

174.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$7.74 A$11.14

10.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$14.00 A$20.15

28.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$2.84 A$4.09

47.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.36 A$1.96

97.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$3.03 A$4.36

48.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$4.80 A$6.90

-16.04%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$2.07 A$2.98

50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$2.19 A$3.15

43.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.76 A$2.53

-7.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$1.12 A$1.61

55.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$29.96 A$43.12

-54.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$12.62 A$18.16

31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$5.23 A$7.52

-62.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$5.04 A$7.25

-56.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$3.05 A$4.40

-53.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$92.3 A$133

-3.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$2.95 A$4.24

25.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.86 A$2.68

-29.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$40.63 A$58.5

-61.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.31 A$1.89

207.63%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$27.4K A$39.4K

63.02%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$24.2K A$34.8K

56.30%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$158 A$227

58.01%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$25.90 A$37.26

-39.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$48.09 A$69.2

-54.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$55.4 A$79.7

70.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$16.55 A$23.82

-43.87%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$11.76 A$16.92

18.28%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$680 A$978

70.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$3,086 A$4,441

608.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$81.6 A$117

-16.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$43.48 A$62.6

-3.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$111 A$159

-27.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$111 A$159

10.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$1,361 A$1,959

64.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$1,241 A$1,786

38.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$2,021 A$2,908

149.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$1,834 A$2,638

87.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$5,426 A$7,808

437.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$4,449 A$6,403

294.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$2,426 A$3,492

34.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.81

-32.70%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Grafton: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Grafton

$1.2K 50.9% 27.8% $477

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Grafton

$321 13.2% 21.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Grafton

$232 9.5% 19.2% $55

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Grafton

$292 12% 44.9% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Grafton

$156 6.4% 11.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Grafton

$79 3.2% 35.3% $43

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Grafton

$117 4.8% 11.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Hong Kong and $1,361 in Grafton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hong Kong pays 35% 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: $65.0 in Hong Kong vs $71.0 in Grafton. Groceries flip the comparison at $411 vs $321, with Grafton cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Grafton

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

3 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

19,255

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Hong Kong Grafton 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
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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 Grafton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong and Grafton differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($2,984 vs $2,437 including rent). Grafton is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 35% 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: $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $1,361 in Grafton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Hong Kong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Grafton – a meal for two runs $71.0 versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $2,437 in Grafton versus $2,984 in Hong Kong, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Grafton but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Grafton 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 Grafton are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Grafton gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Hong Kong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.