Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Hikkaduwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $513 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China)
Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,050
/mo nomad
Hikkaduwa
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$513
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong versus $513 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Hong Kong $3,050
  • Hikkaduwa $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,786 in Hong Kong versus $830 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Hong Kong $4,786
  • Hikkaduwa $830

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,522 in Hong Kong versus $1,147 in Hikkaduwa.

  • Hong Kong $6,522
  • Hikkaduwa $1,147

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 495% more expensive than in Hikkaduwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hong Kong is 126% above, Hikkaduwa is 62% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.37 HK$65.6
$3.79 LKR 1,259
120.84%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 HK$497
$24.42 LKR 8,120
159.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.53 HK$51.2
$7.43 LKR 2,472
-12.11%
Cappuccino
$5.15 HK$40.33
$2.52 LKR 837
104.37%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 HK$10.80
$0.72 LKR 241
91.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 HK$8.86
$0.25 LKR 82.7
352.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.73 HK$60.6
$2.26 LKR 752
242.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 HK$43.62
$3.10 LKR 1,031
79.35%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.94 HK$23.01
$1.57 LKR 522
87.26%
White Bread (500g)
$2.41 HK$18.91
$0.57 LKR 188
322.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 HK$17.42
$0.81 LKR 270
174.07%
Eggs
$3.41 HK$26.73
$1.65 LKR 550
106.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.18 HK$182
$15.32 LKR 5,094
51.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.67 HK$68.0
$4.95 LKR 1,646
75.15%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.90 HK$140
$7.78 LKR 2,588
130.08%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 HK$33.02
$6.46 LKR 2,148
-34.83%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 HK$20.19
$0.86 LKR 287
200.00%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.68 HK$36.68
$4.09 LKR 1,359
14.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.00 HK$31.33
$1.28 LKR 426
212.50%
Potato (1kg)
$3.19 HK$24.98
$1.09 LKR 361
192.66%
Onion (1kg)
$3.27 HK$25.60
$0.77 LKR 256
324.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 HK$12.29
$1.19 LKR 397
31.93%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 HK$13.44
$0.45 LKR 150
280.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.33 HK$105
$10.14 LKR 3,372
31.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.56 HK$122
$13.61 LKR 4,527
14.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 HK$15.87
$1.95 LKR 648
3.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 HK$17.83
$2.94 LKR 979
-22.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.23 HK$9.67
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$87.6 HK$686
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.76 HK$29.46
$0.40 LKR 133
840.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 HK$10.19
$0.31 LKR 103
319.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.93 HK$125
$0.93 LKR 309
1612.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.27 HK$33.48
$1.38 LKR 460
209.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.0K HK$352.7K
$44.2K LKR 14.7M
1.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K HK$294.8K
$45.4K LKR 15.1M
-17.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 HK$1,859
$57.9 LKR 19.3K
309.57%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.46 HK$121
$4.33 LKR 1,441
257.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.46 HK$176
$20.86 LKR 6,935
7.67%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$97.4 HK$764
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.02 HK$70.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 HK$102
$4.60 LKR 1,529
182.17%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,302 HK$10.2K
$40.69 LKR 13.5K
3099.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.3K HK$237.2K
$17.3K LKR 5.7M
75.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$533
$18.18 LKR 6,045
273.87%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.80 HK$335
$17.74 LKR 5,900
141.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.3 HK$637
$79.6 LKR 26.5K
2.14%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 HK$949
$42.26 LKR 14.1K
186.51%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,385 HK$18.7K
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,794 HK$14.1K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,695 HK$44.6K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,786 HK$29.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$28.8K HK$226.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$18.9K HK$147.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Hikkaduwa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,194 HK$25.0K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.89
12.5
-68.88%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hikkaduwa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.8K
Hikkaduwa
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$407
Hikkaduwa
$243 40.1% $163
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$275
Hikkaduwa
$83 69.8% $192
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$208
Hikkaduwa
$104 49.9% $104
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$141
Hikkaduwa
$71 49.6% $70
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$123
Hikkaduwa
$9.2 * 92.5% $114
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$103
Hikkaduwa
$2 * 98.1% $101

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $63 in Hong Kong vs $24 in Hikkaduwa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $407 vs $243 per month, with Hikkaduwa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa
🕒 Local time
16:32 4:32 PM
14:02 2:02 PM
2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
101,342
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.128 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Hikkaduwa 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Hikkaduwa

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 Hikkaduwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hikkaduwa cheaper than Hong Kong?
Hikkaduwa is about 83% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You’d need roughly $4,576 in Hong Kong and $769 in Hikkaduwa to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do food prices compare in Hong Kong and in Hikkaduwa?
Supermarket bills run roughly 67% higher in Hong Kong. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
What are total monthly expenses in Hong Kong and in Hikkaduwa?
All in, you’ll spend $3,050 per month in Hong Kong versus $513 in Hikkaduwa – Hikkaduwa is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Hong Kong or in Hikkaduwa?
At $513 in Hikkaduwa versus $3,050 in Hong Kong, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hikkaduwa but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. The gap between the two cities makes Hikkaduwa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Hong Kong or in Hikkaduwa?
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.

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