Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $546 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

Jump to prices

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $546 in Kandy, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Kandy $546

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $748 in Kandy, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Kandy $748

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $950 in Kandy, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Kandy $950

Hong Kong costs about 459% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Kandy is 60% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$2.69 LKR 894

211.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$12.70 LKR 4,222

399.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$6.46 LKR 2,148

1.08%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.33

$2.52 LKR 839

104.37%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.64 LKR 213

115.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.25 LKR 82.3

352.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$1.68 LKR 558

360.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.62

$1.70 LKR 567

227.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.01

$0.92 LKR 307

219.57%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.91

$0.57 LKR 188

322.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$0.73 LKR 243

204.11%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.73

$1.64 LKR 546

107.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$6.46 LKR 2,148

258.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$3.73 LKR 1,241

132.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

$6.13 LKR 2,038

192.01%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.02

$3.22 LKR 1,070

30.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.87 LKR 289

196.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.68

$1.63 LKR 542

187.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.33

$1.27 LKR 424

214.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$0.71 LKR 236

349.30%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.63 LKR 209

419.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.29

$0.47 LKR 156

234.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.44

$0.45 LKR 151

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$7.45 LKR 2,478

78.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$9.22 LKR 3,065

68.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.87

$1.77 LKR 588

14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$1.70 LKR 564

34.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.10 LKR 34.09

1130.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.46

$0.38 LKR 125

889.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.33 LKR 110

293.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$0.92 LKR 307

1631.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.15 LKR 381

271.30%

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

$45.0K HK$352.7K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

2.28%

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

$37.6K HK$294.8K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-17.28%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

313.57%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$3.82 LKR 1,272

304.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$7.05 LKR 2,344

218.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$764

$7.37 LKR 2,452

1221.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$4.63 LKR 1,539

180.35%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$40.92 LKR 13.6K

3081.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

74.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$15.97 LKR 5,309

325.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$17.21 LKR 5,724

148.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

4.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$36.41 LKR 12.1K

232.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$244 LKR 81.0K

878.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$149 LKR 49.7K

1100.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$242 LKR 80.5K

2251.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$107 LKR 35.6K

3433.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

$319 LKR 106.1K

901.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

-67.58%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Kandy

$149 27.4% 91.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Kandy

$156 28.6% 61.5% $250

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Kandy

$68 12.5% 75.2% $207

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Kandy

$87 15.9% 58.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Kandy

$66 12.2% 52.9% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Kandy

$17 3.1% 86.5% $107

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Kandy

$2.4 * 0.5% 97.6% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $244 in Kandy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hong Kong are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong versus $13 in Kandy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $156 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

125,000

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

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).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Kandy 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $546 in Kandy – Kandy comes out roughly 82% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,576 per month in Hong Kong and $819 in Kandy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $13 in Kandy. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 160% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandy, where all-in costs run around $546, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Kandy 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 $546 in Kandy to $3,050 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 Kandy. 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.