Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Helsingborg

For one person, living is cheaper in Helsingborg: $1,703 a month against $3,028 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Helsingborg
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Helsingborg Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,028

/mo nomad

Helsingborg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,028 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,703 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,028
Helsingborg $1,703

A couple spends around $4,727 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,638 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,727
Helsingborg $2,638

A family of three spends $6,426 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,572 in Helsingborg, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,426
Helsingborg $3,572

Hong Kong costs about 78% more than Helsingborg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hong Kong and Helsingborg sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Helsingborg by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 HK$63.6

$13.46 SEK 132

-39.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.9 HK$493

$69.6 SEK 681

-9.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.33 HK$49.66

$12.53 SEK 123

-49.48%

Cappuccino

$5.03 HK$39.45

$4.69 SEK 45.89

7.25%

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

$1.27 HK$9.98

$2.97 SEK 29.05

-57.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.08 HK$8.47

$2.34 SEK 22.88

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.74 HK$60.7

$7.11 SEK 69.5

8.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 HK$51.4

$6.25 SEK 61.2

4.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.87 HK$22.51

$1.44 SEK 14.13

99.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 HK$19.11

$2.77 SEK 27.11

-11.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.69

$2.95 SEK 28.85

-27.80%

Eggs

$3.43 HK$26.89

$3.79 SEK 37.03

-9.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.73 HK$194

$11.27 SEK 110

119.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.86 HK$69.5

$11.23 SEK 110

-21.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.81 HK$140

$14.97 SEK 146

18.97%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.00

$3.12 SEK 30.52

34.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.60 HK$20.36

$2.40 SEK 23.44

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.65 HK$36.52

$2.93 SEK 28.70

58.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.05 HK$31.81

$4.32 SEK 42.21

-6.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.18 HK$24.97

$1.73 SEK 16.87

83.82%

Onion (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.46

$1.50 SEK 14.66

116.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 HK$12.47

$1.83 SEK 17.88

-13.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 HK$13.50

$1.59 SEK 15.59

8.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.27 HK$104

$8.50 SEK 83.2

56.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.22 HK$119

$9.35 SEK 91.5

62.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 HK$15.18

$2.09 SEK 20.40

-7.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.92

$2.18 SEK 21.34

4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.05

$3.14 SEK 30.69

-59.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.0 HK$691

$64.4 SEK 629

36.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.75 HK$29.39

$6.02 SEK 58.9

-37.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.23

$1.67 SEK 16.37

-22.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.92 HK$125

$59.1 SEK 578

-73.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.05 HK$31.80

$1.79 SEK 17.53

126.26%

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

$44.6K HK$349.5K

$33.8K SEK 330.3K

31.91%

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

$37.5K HK$294.4K

$33.2K SEK 324.7K

12.99%

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

$242 HK$1,895

$106 SEK 1,033

128.60%

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

$15.72 HK$123

$19.71 SEK 193

-20.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.12 HK$166

$32.69 SEK 320

-35.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.8 HK$783

$39.03 SEK 382

155.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.52 HK$74.7

$21.90 SEK 214

-56.53%

Cinema Ticket

$12.80 HK$100

$14.81 SEK 145

-13.57%

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

$1,287 HK$10.1K

$173 SEK 1,691

644.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.0K HK$172.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.7 HK$523

$79.8 SEK 781

-16.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.46 HK$333

$33.50 SEK 328

26.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 HK$656

$87.8 SEK 859

-4.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$957

$108 SEK 1,060

12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,432 HK$19.1K

$835 SEK 8,164

191.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,764 HK$13.8K

$640 SEK 6,256

175.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,347 HK$42.0K

$1,359 SEK 13.3K

293.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,677 HK$28.9K

$1,081 SEK 10.6K

240.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.4K HK$223.0K

$3,100 SEK 30.3K

817.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.1K HK$141.8K

$2,277 SEK 22.3K

693.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,264 HK$25.6K

$2,925 SEK 28.6K

11.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

3.06

23.86%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Helsingborg: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.2%

Helsingborg

$640 37.6% 63.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.6%

Helsingborg

$335 19.7% 18.3% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$278 9.2%

Helsingborg

$158 9.3% 43.2% $120

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.8%

Helsingborg

$271 15.9% 31.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$142 4.7%

Helsingborg

$139 8.2% 1.6% $2.3

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$125 4.1%

Helsingborg

$69 4% 45.2% $57

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Helsingborg

$91 5.4% 11.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,432 in Hong Kong versus $835 in Helsingborg. 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 12% 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 $63 in Hong Kong versus $70 in Helsingborg. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Hong Kong vs $335 in Helsingborg – so Helsingborg wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇸🇪 Helsingborg

🕒 Local time

13:47 1:47 PM

06:47 6:47 AM

7 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

93,838

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

100 SEK = 10.23 USD

100 SEK = 9.12 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 9.78 SEK (1 SEK = 0.102 USD). 1 EUR = 10.96 SEK (100 SEK = 9.12 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong Helsingborg 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Helsingborg

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 Helsingborg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,028 in Hong Kong, $1,703 in Helsingborg – Helsingborg comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,543 per month in Hong Kong and $2,555 in Helsingborg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Helsingborg, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $835 there versus $2,432 in Hong Kong.

Public transport costs about 27% less in Helsingborg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $1,287 per month in Hong Kong and $173 in Helsingborg. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Helsingborg, where all-in costs run around $1,703, than in Hong Kong at $3,028. In Helsingborg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,703 in Helsingborg to $3,028 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Helsingborg. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.