Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Karawang

For one person, living is cheaper in Karawang: $453 a month against $2,984 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)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Karawang
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$453
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $453 in Karawang, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Karawang $453

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $821 in Karawang, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,584
  • Karawang $821

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,188 in Karawang, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,183
  • Karawang $1,188

Hong Kong costs about 558% more than Karawang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Karawang is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.75 HK$60.8
$1.36 Rp 24.5K
469.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$11.11 Rp 200.0K
482.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 HK$48.51
$3.43 Rp 61.7K
80.17%
Cappuccino
$5.08 HK$39.85
$1.52 Rp 27.3K
234.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.31
$0.41 Rp 7,379
219.51%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 HK$8.56
$0.20 Rp 3,668
445.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.47 HK$58.6
$3.09 Rp 55.6K
141.75%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 HK$51.0
$3.10 Rp 55.8K
109.68%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.89 HK$22.71
$1.13 Rp 20.4K
155.75%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 HK$18.14
$1.02 Rp 18.3K
126.47%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.71
$0.82 Rp 14.8K
159.76%
Eggs
$3.52 HK$27.65
$1.41 Rp 25.4K
149.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.72 HK$194
$2.75 Rp 49.4K
798.91%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 HK$66.9
$2.93 Rp 52.8K
190.78%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.00 HK$141
$8.01 Rp 144.2K
124.72%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 HK$32.79
$1.82 Rp 32.8K
129.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 HK$21.07
$1.04 Rp 18.6K
157.69%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 HK$35.22
$1.25 Rp 22.4K
259.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 HK$31.66
$0.52 Rp 9,404
675.00%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 HK$24.51
$0.89 Rp 16.1K
250.56%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 HK$24.72
$1.50 Rp 27.1K
110.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 HK$12.75
$0.70 Rp 12.6K
131.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.66
$0.44 Rp 7,926
295.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.50 HK$106
$2.65 Rp 47.7K
409.43%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.54 HK$130
$22.50 Rp 405.0K
-26.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 HK$15.19
$1.83 Rp 32.9K
6.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.11
$3.23 Rp 58.1K
-32.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 HK$11.04
$0.59 Rp 10.6K
138.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 HK$696
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 HK$28.94
$0.87 Rp 15.6K
324.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 HK$10.36
$0.51 Rp 9,216
158.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.77 HK$124
$1.14 Rp 20.4K
1283.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.03 HK$31.65
$0.91 Rp 16.5K
342.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K HK$350.5K
$21.5K Rp 387.0M
107.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K HK$296.6K
$28.6K Rp 514.5M
32.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 HK$1,959
$34.09 Rp 613.6K
632.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.60 HK$122
$4.43 Rp 79.7K
252.14%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.77 HK$171
$12.32 Rp 221.7K
76.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.2 HK$739
$20.52 Rp 369.4K
358.92%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 HK$72.9
$8.33 Rp 150.0K
11.52%
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 HK$109
$2.87 Rp 51.7K
384.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,162 HK$9,122
$43.73 Rp 787.2K
2558.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K HK$171.6K
$8,398 Rp 151.2M
160.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$534
$16.72 Rp 301.0K
306.64%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.91 HK$329
$27.84 Rp 501.2K
50.54%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 HK$626
$49.09 Rp 883.6K
62.44%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$48.42 Rp 871.6K
151.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 HK$17.6K
$141 Rp 2.5M
1486.24%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$68.4 Rp 1.2M
2412.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,041 HK$39.6K
$535 Rp 9.6M
841.49%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,435 HK$27.0K
$369 Rp 6.6M
829.73%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.2K HK$229.0K
$1,178 Rp 21.2M
2377.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$717 Rp 12.9M
2351.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Karawang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,271 HK$25.7K
$412 Rp 7.4M
694.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
11.38
-65.64%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Karawang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Karawang
$68 96% $1.6K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$411
Karawang
$175 57.5% $236
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$287
Karawang
$51 82.3% $236
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$201
Karawang
$64 68.5% $138
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$140
Karawang
$64 54.4% $76
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$122
Karawang
$26 78.5% $96
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Karawang
$5.8 * 94.5% $99

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $141 in Karawang. 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 695% 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 $11.00 in Karawang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $175 – making Karawang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇮🇩 Karawang
🕒 Local time
20:38 8:38 PM
19:38 7:38 PM
1 h behind Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
273,472
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Karawang 3,260 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Karawang

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 Karawang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Karawang compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $453 in Karawang – roughly 558% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Karawang?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $680 in Karawang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Karawang?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Karawang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $11.00 in Karawang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 135% more in Hong Kong, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karawang, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Karawang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hong Kong and Karawang?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $453 in Karawang to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hong Kong or Karawang 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 Karawang?
If budget matters most, go with Karawang. 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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