Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kawagoe

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawagoe: $1,084 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $22,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kawagoe
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Kawagoe Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Kawagoe

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,084

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,084 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Kawagoe $1,084

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,747 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Kawagoe $1,747

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,409 in Kawagoe, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Kawagoe $2,409

Hong Kong costs about 175% more than Kawagoe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Kawagoe is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$6.38 ¥1,008

21.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$40.89 ¥6,460

58.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$5.02 ¥793

23.11%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.41 ¥539

48.97%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.93 ¥146

40.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.49 ¥78.0

122.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$1.92 ¥304

289.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$2.64 ¥417

146.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.16 ¥183

149.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.29 ¥203

79.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$3.59 ¥566

-40.67%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.02 ¥320

74.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$6.14 ¥970

302.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$6.24 ¥987

36.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$14.67 ¥2,318

22.70%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$5.61 ¥887

-25.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$2.30 ¥364

16.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.81 ¥445

59.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$3.11 ¥492

29.58%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$2.55 ¥403

22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.87 ¥296

68.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.30 ¥206

24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.74 ¥117

135.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.86 ¥609

249.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$4.87 ¥770

239.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.74 ¥275

11.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$2.03 ¥320

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$2.98 ¥471

-52.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$53.7 ¥8,488

64.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.19 ¥504

15.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$2.73 ¥431

-51.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$20.42 ¥3,226

-22.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.11 ¥175

263.06%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$15.7K ¥2.5M

183.93%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$12.9K ¥2.0M

193.68%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$131 ¥20.7K

90.69%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$22.38 ¥3,536

-30.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$31.77 ¥5,020

-31.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$43.88 ¥6,932

114.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$32.08 ¥5,068

-71.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$11.12 ¥1,757

25.09%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$315 ¥49.8K

269.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$6,305 ¥996.1K

246.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$31.87 ¥5,035

113.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$33.30 ¥5,261

25.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$43.84 ¥6,926

81.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$96.3 ¥15.2K

26.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$417 ¥65.8K

437.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$273 ¥43.1K

529.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$844 ¥133.4K

497.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$594 ¥93.8K

478.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$2,561 ¥404.5K

1039.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,760 ¥278.0K

898.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$1,614 ¥255.0K

102.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

1.6

144.38%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kawagoe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Kawagoe

$273 25.2% 84.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Kawagoe

$257 23.7% 37.4% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Kawagoe

$185 17.1% 35.5% $102

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Kawagoe

$128 11.8% 36.6% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Kawagoe

$92 8.5% 34.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Kawagoe

$66 6.1% 45.8% $56

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Kawagoe

$83 7.6% 21.1% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $417 in Kawagoe. 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 103% 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 $41.00 in Kawagoe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $257 – making Kawagoe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Kawagoe

🕒 Local time

09:32 9:32 AM

10:32 10:32 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

350,745

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Hong Kong Kawagoe 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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 Kawagoe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,084 in Kawagoe – roughly 175% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $1,626 in Kawagoe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawagoe, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $41.00 in Kawagoe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,084 in Kawagoe. That's a gap of about 175%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawagoe, where all-in costs run around $1,084, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Kawagoe 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 $1,084 in Kawagoe to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Kawagoe. 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.