Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
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Hat Yai Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Hat Yai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong versus $731 in Hat Yai.

Hong Kong $2,984
Hat Yai $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,584 in Hong Kong versus $1,300 in Hat Yai.

Hong Kong $4,584
Hat Yai $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,183 in Hong Kong versus $1,870 in Hat Yai.

Hong Kong $6,183
Hat Yai $1,870

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 308% more expensive than in Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hong Kong is 121% above, Hat Yai is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$2.90 ฿96.9

167.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$43.67 ฿1,460

48.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$3.66 ฿122

68.85%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$2.88 ฿96.3

76.39%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$1.33 ฿44.34

-1.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.56 ฿18.60

94.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$1.80 ฿60.1

315.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.46 ฿116

87.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.45 ฿48.55

99.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.25 ฿41.68

84.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$1.24 ฿41.28

71.77%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.51 ฿83.9

40.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$22.15 ฿740

11.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$2.24 ฿74.7

280.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$11.19 ฿374

60.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$2.54 ฿84.8

64.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.38 ฿46.10

94.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$1.89 ฿63.3

137.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$1.80 ฿60.3

123.89%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$1.46 ฿48.94

113.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.03 ฿34.38

205.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.07 ฿35.74

51.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.41 ฿13.57

324.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$4.36 ฿146

209.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$15.03 ฿502

10.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.77 ฿59.2

9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$1.99 ฿66.4

9.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$0.57 ฿18.98

147.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$1.25 ฿41.71

195.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.13 ฿37.78

16.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$4.94 ฿165

219.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.29 ฿43.15

212.40%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$18.9K ฿630.6K

136.69%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-16.24%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$84.4 ฿2,819

195.86%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$11.75 ฿393

32.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$9.65 ฿322

125.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$48.45 ฿1,619

94.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$14.10 ฿471

-34.11%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$7.19 ฿240

93.46%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$562 ฿18.8K

106.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

104.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$37.54 ฿1,255

81.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$26.26 ฿878

59.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$70.9 ฿2,369

12.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$97.3 ฿3,250

25.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$270 ฿9,010

731.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$107 ฿3,576

1505.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$729 ฿24.4K

591.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$397 ฿13.3K

765.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$1,915 ฿64.0K

1423.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,584 ฿52.9K

1009.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$452 ฿15.1K

624.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

6.36

-38.52%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 93.8% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 39.3% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 63.1% $181

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 54.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 25.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 48.5% $59

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 91.2% $95

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,241 in Hong Kong and $270 in Hat Yai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hong Kong pays 624% 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $411 vs $249 per month, with Hat Yai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

06:42 6:42 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

156,802

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Hat Yai 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai wins on cost – living expenses run 308% lower than in Hong Kong. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hat Yai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 624% 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 $270 in Hat Yai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,162 in Hong Kong versus $562 in Hat Yai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Hat Yai – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $2,984 in Hong Kong, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hat Yai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $731 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hat Yai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Hong Kong and Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 308% less than in Hong Kong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.