Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kataragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Kataragama: $508 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kataragama
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Kataragama Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Kataragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $508 in Kataragama, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Kataragama $508

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $824 in Kataragama, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Kataragama $824

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,140 in Kataragama, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Kataragama $1,140

Hong Kong costs about 501% more than Kataragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Kataragama is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$3.87 LKR 1,286

116.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$24.70 LKR 8,212

156.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$7.34 LKR 2,440

-11.04%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.32

$2.43 LKR 807

111.93%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.67 LKR 224

105.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.27 LKR 90.8

318.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$2.23 LKR 741

246.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.61

$3.08 LKR 1,025

80.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.00

$1.57 LKR 522

87.26%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.90

$0.56 LKR 187

330.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.41

$0.76 LKR 252

192.11%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.72

$1.63 LKR 543

109.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$15.08 LKR 5,014

53.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$4.89 LKR 1,626

77.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

$7.66 LKR 2,546

133.68%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.01

$6.54 LKR 2,173

-35.63%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.83 LKR 276

210.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.67

$4.08 LKR 1,358

14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.32

$1.31 LKR 437

205.34%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$1.08 LKR 360

195.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.83 LKR 276

293.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.28

$1.24 LKR 414

26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.43

$0.45 LKR 150

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$10.29 LKR 3,421

29.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$13.61 LKR 4,526

14.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.86

$1.96 LKR 652

3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.94 LKR 977

-22.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.45

$0.40 LKR 134

840.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.31 LKR 103

319.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$0.86 LKR 285

1752.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.34 LKR 445

218.66%

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

$45.0K HK$352.6K

$43.6K LKR 14.5M

3.29%

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

$37.6K HK$294.7K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-17.61%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

317.28%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$4.15 LKR 1,380

272.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$20.61 LKR 6,855

8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$763

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$4.50 LKR 1,495

188.44%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$39.71 LKR 13.2K

3178.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

74.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$18.27 LKR 6,074

272.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$17.51 LKR 5,824

144.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

4.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$41.79 LKR 13.9K

189.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

12.5

-68.88%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kataragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Kataragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Kataragama

$242 47.7% 40.4% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Kataragama

$82 16.1% 70.3% $194

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Kataragama

$103 20.3% 50.4% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Kataragama

$70 13.8% 50.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Kataragama

$9 * 1.8% 92.7% $114

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Kataragama

$2 * 0.4% 98.1% $101

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong versus $25 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $242 – making Kataragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇱🇰 Kataragama

🕒 Local time

20:16 8:16 PM

17:46 5:46 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

20,000

💱 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 →

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Hong Kong Kataragama 3,940 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Kataragama

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 Kataragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $508 in Kataragama – Kataragama comes out roughly 83% 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 $762 in Kataragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $25 in Kataragama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kataragama, where all-in costs run around $508, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Kataragama 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 $508 in Kataragama to $3,050 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.