Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Ibaraki

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibaraki: $1,130 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Ibaraki
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Ibaraki Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Ibaraki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,130 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Ibaraki $1,130

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,756 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Ibaraki $1,756

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,383 in Ibaraki, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Ibaraki $2,383

Hong Kong costs about 166% more than Ibaraki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Ibaraki is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$6.43 ¥1,016

21.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$30.94 ¥4,888

109.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$4.95 ¥781

26.06%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$3.04 ¥480

64.80%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$1.15 ¥182

12.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.75 ¥119

48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$2.66 ¥421

192.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$3.16 ¥499

102.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$2.70 ¥427

7.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.54 ¥244

51.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$4.04 ¥638

-44.80%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$2.12 ¥334

62.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$10.53 ¥1,663

137.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$6.66 ¥1,053

31.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$16.42 ¥2,594

7.86%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$3.79 ¥599

9.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$2.26 ¥357

16.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$2.81 ¥443

61.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$4.08 ¥645

0.25%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$2.43 ¥384

32.51%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$2.56 ¥404

27.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.24 ¥196

33.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.85 ¥134

104.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$3.33 ¥526

303.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$6.66 ¥1,052

127.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$1.78 ¥282

10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.15 ¥340

3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$1.68 ¥266

-23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$54.3 ¥8,582

65.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$4.65 ¥735

-21.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$2.81 ¥444

-51.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$18.30 ¥2,890

-11.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.13 ¥178

271.68%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$21.4K ¥3.4M

110.12%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

143.13%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$136 ¥21.5K

74.78%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$23.88 ¥3,773

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$31.10 ¥4,913

-29.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$51.5 ¥8,140

76.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$12.95 ¥2,046

0.08%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$464 ¥73.3K

152.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

63.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$26.48 ¥4,184

156.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$31.63 ¥4,997

37.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$67.2 ¥10.6K

23.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$79.9 ¥12.6K

53.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$401 ¥63.4K

461.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$260 ¥41.1K

573.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$1,102 ¥174.2K

369.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$528 ¥83.3K

571.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$3,937 ¥622.0K

643.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,554 ¥245.6K

1024.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

$2,553 ¥403.3K

28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

2.21

71.49%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ibaraki: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Ibaraki

$260 23% 85.1% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Ibaraki

$300 26.5% 27% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Ibaraki

$191 16.9% 30.6% $84

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Ibaraki

$130 11.5% 35.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Ibaraki

$92 8.2% 35.4% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Ibaraki

$77 6.9% 33.9% $40

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Ibaraki

$80 7.1% 24.5% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $401 in Ibaraki. 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 29% 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 $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $31.00 in Ibaraki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $300 – making Ibaraki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Ibaraki

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

07:57 7:57 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

287,730

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Hong Kong Ibaraki 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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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 Ibaraki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $1,130 in Ibaraki – roughly 166% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $1,695 in Ibaraki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ibaraki, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $31.00 in Ibaraki. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,005 in Hong Kong and $1,130 in Ibaraki. That's a gap of about 166%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ibaraki, where all-in costs run around $1,130, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Ibaraki 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 $1,130 in Ibaraki to $3,005 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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