Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kawasaki

For one person, living is cheaper in Kawasaki: $1,481 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Kawasaki
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Kawasaki Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Kawasaki

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,481

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,481 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Kawasaki $1,481

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,245 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Kawasaki $2,245

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,009 in Kawasaki, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Kawasaki $3,009

Hong Kong costs about 101% more than Kawasaki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hong Kong and Kawasaki sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, Kawasaki by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$7.72 ¥1,220

0.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$37.50 ¥5,924

72.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$5.02 ¥793

23.11%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$2.69 ¥426

88.85%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$1.59 ¥251

-17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.87 ¥137

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$3.22 ¥509

131.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.06 ¥484

112.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.52 ¥241

90.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.55 ¥244

49.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$4.23 ¥669

-49.65%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.11 ¥333

66.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$11.09 ¥1,751

122.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$6.63 ¥1,047

28.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$16.37 ¥2,587

9.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$6.27 ¥991

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$2.71 ¥428

-1.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$4.95 ¥783

-9.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$5.33 ¥842

-24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$3.27 ¥517

-4.59%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$3.06 ¥483

2.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.14 ¥179

42.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.82 ¥130

112.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.83 ¥605

252.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$9.39 ¥1,483

76.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$2.39 ¥377

-18.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$2.71 ¥429

-19.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$1.90 ¥300

-25.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$51.1 ¥8,072

73.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.07 ¥485

20.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$3.06 ¥484

-56.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$18.85 ¥2,978

-16.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.06 ¥167

280.19%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

103.10%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$15.4K ¥2.4M

145.52%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$124 ¥19.6K

101.33%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$23.61 ¥3,729

-33.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$30.45 ¥4,810

-28.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$54.2 ¥8,560

73.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$6.22 ¥982

49.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$12.18 ¥1,925

14.20%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$568 ¥89.8K

104.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$14.5K ¥2.3M

51.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$50.1 ¥7,914

35.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$33.45 ¥5,285

25.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$64.4 ¥10.2K

23.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$70.9 ¥11.2K

71.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$754 ¥119.2K

197.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$576 ¥90.9K

198.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,281 ¥202.4K

293.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$1,021 ¥161.2K

236.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$4,698 ¥742.2K

521.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$3,131 ¥494.7K

461.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$2,542 ¥401.6K

28.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

2.02

93.56%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kawasaki: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Kawasaki

$576 38.9% 66.5% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Kawasaki

$332 22.4% 19.1% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Kawasaki

$178 12% 38% $109

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Kawasaki

$141 9.5% 29.9% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Kawasaki

$98 6.7% 29.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Kawasaki

$79 5.3% 35.6% $43

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Kawasaki

$77 5.2% 26.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $754 in Kawasaki. 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 29% 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $332 – making Kawasaki the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Kawasaki

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

05:16 5:16 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

1,538,262

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kawasaki 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Kawasaki

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 Kawasaki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,481 in Kawasaki – roughly 101% 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 $2,222 in Kawasaki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kawasaki, 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 $37.00 in Kawasaki. 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 $1,481 in Kawasaki. That's a gap of about 101%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kawasaki, where all-in costs run around $1,481, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Kawasaki 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 $1,481 in Kawasaki 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 Kawasaki. 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.