Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Jeonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Jeonju: $1,149 a month against $3,028 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China)
Jeonju, South Korea
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,028
/mo nomad
Jeonju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,149
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,028 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,149 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $3,028
  • Jeonju $1,149

A couple spends around $4,727 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,796 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,727
  • Jeonju $1,796

A family of three spends $6,426 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,443 in Jeonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,426
  • Jeonju $2,443

Hong Kong costs about 164% more than Jeonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Hong Kong sits 123% above the global median, while Jeonju is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.11 HK$63.6
$7.48 ₩9,930
8.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$62.9 HK$493
$22.90 ₩30.4K
174.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.33 HK$49.65
$5.43 ₩7,201
16.57%
Cappuccino
$5.03 HK$39.44
$3.81 ₩5,052
32.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 HK$9.98
$1.12 ₩1,485
13.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 HK$8.47
$0.61 ₩814
77.05%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.74 HK$60.7
$2.85 ₩3,781
171.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.55 HK$51.4
$4.16 ₩5,524
57.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.87 HK$22.51
$2.15 ₩2,851
33.49%
White Bread (500g)
$2.44 HK$19.11
$2.30 ₩3,058
6.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.69
$3.12 ₩4,136
-31.73%
Eggs
$3.43 HK$26.88
$2.30 ₩3,054
49.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.73 HK$194
$10.99 ₩14.6K
125.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.86 HK$69.5
$10.53 ₩14.0K
-15.86%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.81 HK$140
$25.57 ₩33.9K
-30.35%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 HK$32.99
$11.45 ₩15.2K
-63.23%
Banana (1kg)
$2.60 HK$20.36
$3.33 ₩4,419
-21.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.65 HK$36.51
$8.37 ₩11.1K
-44.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.05 HK$31.80
$4.61 ₩6,123
-12.15%
Potato (1kg)
$3.18 HK$24.97
$6.20 ₩8,220
-48.71%
Onion (1kg)
$3.25 HK$25.46
$2.29 ₩3,039
41.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.59 HK$12.47
$2.91 ₩3,861
-45.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.72 HK$13.50
$0.77 ₩1,019
123.38%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.27 HK$104
$3.47 ₩4,607
282.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.22 HK$119
$18.83 ₩25.0K
-19.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.93 HK$15.17
$1.49 ₩1,974
29.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 HK$17.91
$3.51 ₩4,654
-35.04%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.28 HK$10.05
$1.22 ₩1,615
4.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.0 HK$691
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.75 HK$29.38
$3.32 ₩4,407
12.95%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 HK$10.23
$0.76 ₩1,010
71.05%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.92 HK$125
$16.74 ₩22.2K
-4.90%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.05 HK$31.80
$1.21 ₩1,612
234.71%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.6K HK$349.5K
$39.1K ₩51.9M
13.97%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.5K HK$294.3K
$34.6K ₩46.0M
8.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$242 HK$1,895
$72.0 ₩95.5K
235.44%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.72 HK$123
$30.65 ₩40.7K
-48.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.12 HK$166
$27.49 ₩36.5K
-23.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$99.8 HK$783
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.52 HK$74.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.80 HK$100
$11.98 ₩15.9K
6.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,287 HK$10.1K
$638 ₩846.6K
101.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.0K HK$172.7K
$22.0K ₩29.2M
0.21%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$66.7 HK$523
$105 ₩138.7K
-36.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.46 HK$333
$64.9 ₩86.1K
-34.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.6 HK$655
$44.53 ₩59.1K
87.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$37.95 ₩50.4K
221.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,432 HK$19.1K
$266 ₩352.3K
815.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,764 HK$13.8K
$259 ₩344.3K
579.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,347 HK$41.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,677 HK$28.8K
$460 ₩609.8K
700.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$28.4K HK$223.0K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$18.1K HK$141.8K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Jeonju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,264 HK$25.6K
$2,295 ₩3.0M
42.21%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.79
4.22
-10.19%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 27, 2026

Last update for Jeonju: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.8K
Jeonju
$259 85.3% $1.5K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$410
Jeonju
$458 11.7% $48
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$278
Jeonju
$130 53.2% $148
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$205
Jeonju
$151 26.3% $54
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$142
Jeonju
$113 19.9% $28
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$125
Jeonju
$24 * 80.9% $101
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$103
Jeonju
$12 * 88.4% $91

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,432 in Hong Kong versus $266 in Jeonju. 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 42% 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 $23 in Jeonju. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Hong Kong vs $458 in Jeonju – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇰🇷 Jeonju
🕒 Local time
18:17 6:17 PM
19:17 7:17 PM
1 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
653,387
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.73 HKD (1 HKD = 0.115 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,327 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.54 USD). 1 EUR = 1,477 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.77 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Jeonju 1,960 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Jeonju

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 Jeonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Jeonju compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,028 in Hong Kong, $1,149 in Jeonju – roughly 164% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Jeonju?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,543 per month in Hong Kong and $1,723 in Jeonju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Jeonju?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Jeonju, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $266 there versus $2,432 in Hong Kong.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $23 in Jeonju. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Hong Kong – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Jeonju, where all-in costs run around $1,149, than in Hong Kong at $3,028. In Jeonju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Hong Kong or Jeonju?
Families tend to lean toward Jeonju – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Hong Kong or Jeonju safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Hong Kong and Jeonju?
If budget matters most, go with Jeonju. 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.

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