Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Karnataka

For one person, living is cheaper in Karnataka: $327 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Karnataka
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Karnataka Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Karnataka

🇮🇳 India

$327

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $327 in Karnataka, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Karnataka $327

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $539 in Karnataka, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Karnataka $539

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $752 in Karnataka, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Karnataka $752

Hong Kong costs about 833% more than Karnataka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Karnataka is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$1.03 ₹97.4

712.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$10.88 ₹1,028

482.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$3.61 ₹341

80.89%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.33

$0.93 ₹87.6

453.76%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.42 ₹39.69

228.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.14 ₹13.35

707.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$1.88 ₹178

311.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.62

$2.13 ₹201

161.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.01

$0.52 ₹49.31

465.38%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.91

$0.45 ₹42.20

435.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$0.85 ₹80.1

161.18%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.73

$0.88 ₹83.3

287.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$5.74 ₹542

303.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$3.44 ₹325

152.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.02

$1.77 ₹167

137.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.46 ₹43.47

460.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.68

$0.83 ₹78.4

463.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.33

$0.31 ₹28.84

1190.32%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$0.36 ₹33.57

786.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.44 ₹41.50

643.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.29

$0.25 ₹23.59

528.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.44

$0.27 ₹25.67

533.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$1.62 ₹153

722.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$4.39 ₹414

254.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.87

$1.97 ₹186

2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.42 ₹228

-5.79%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$2.26 ₹214

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.23 ₹21.75

434.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

$7.07 ₹667

1138.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.46

$0.54 ₹51.2

596.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.28 ₹26.19

364.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$2.13 ₹201

647.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$0.97 ₹91.5

340.21%

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

$45.0K HK$352.7K

$6,213 ₹586.9K

624.15%

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

$37.6K HK$294.8K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

199.66%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$17.67 ₹1,669

1242.28%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$3.75 ₹354

312.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$3.08 ₹291

629.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$764

$15.06 ₹1,423

546.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

$6.43 ₹608

40.28%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$2.58 ₹243

403.10%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$44.31 ₹4,186

2838.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$1,152 ₹108.8K

2527.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$18.20 ₹1,719

273.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$19.28 ₹1,822

121.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$52.9 ₹4,998

53.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$20.80 ₹1,965

482.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$121 ₹11.5K

1865.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$79.1 ₹7,471

2167.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$272 ₹25.7K

1996.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$194 ₹18.3K

1852.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

$917 ₹86.6K

3044.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

$529 ₹50.0K

3466.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

$526 ₹49.7K

507.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

7.9

-50.76%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Karnataka: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Karnataka

$79 24.2% 95.6% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Karnataka

$97 29.7% 76.1% $309

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Karnataka

$25 7.5% 91.1% $251

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Karnataka

$46 14.1% 77.8% $162

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Karnataka

$50 15.3% 64.5% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Karnataka

$20 6.2% 83.6% $103

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Karnataka

$9.9 3% 90.4% $93

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $121 in Karnataka. 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 6.1 times higher, 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 $11 in Karnataka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $97 – making Karnataka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇮🇳 Karnataka

🕒 Local time

17:12 5:12 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

77,139

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Karnataka 4,290 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Karnataka

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 Karnataka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $327 in Karnataka – Karnataka comes out roughly 89% 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 $491 in Karnataka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karnataka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $11 in Karnataka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,050 in Hong Kong and $327 in Karnataka. That makes Karnataka about 89% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Karnataka, where all-in costs run around $327, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Karnataka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Karnataka costs $327 versus $3,050 in Hong Kong. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Karnataka. 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.