Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Khon Kaen

For one person, living is cheaper in Khon Kaen: $613 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Khon Kaen
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Khon Kaen Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Khon Kaen

🇹🇭 Thailand

$613

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Khon Kaen

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $613 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Khon Kaen $613

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,029 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Khon Kaen $1,029

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,444 in Khon Kaen, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Khon Kaen $1,444

Hong Kong costs about 387% more than Khon Kaen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Khon Kaen is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$2.98 ฿99.7

160.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$29.88 ฿999

116.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$6.03 ฿202

2.49%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$1.46 ฿48.84

247.95%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.59 ฿19.67

122.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.27 ฿8.92

303.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$1.74 ฿58.3

329.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$6.76 ฿226

-3.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$0.88 ฿29.38

142.05%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.47 ฿82.6

42.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$0.92 ฿30.82

191.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$1.46 ฿48.83

207.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.50 ฿50.1

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$0.61 ฿20.51

165.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.49 ฿16.41

255.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.69 ฿56.4

14.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.21 ฿40.47

9.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.34 ฿44.66

200.75%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-0.97%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$26.8K ฿895.5K

41.02%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$94.1 ฿3,146

165.13%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$17.76 ฿594

-12.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$29.78 ฿995

-26.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$60.5 ฿2,022

55.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$6.08 ฿203

128.78%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$8,748 ฿292.3K

150.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$29.67 ฿992

129.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$35.23 ฿1,177

18.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$75.1 ฿2,510

6.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$87.7 ฿2,931

38.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$278 ฿9,297

705.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$161 ฿5,366

970.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$757 ฿25.3K

565.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$484 ฿16.2K

609.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Khon Kaen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Khon Kaen

$161 26.2% 90.7% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Khon Kaen

$45 * 7.3% 89.2% $366

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Khon Kaen

$142 23.1% 50.6% $145

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Khon Kaen

$85 13.9% 57.7% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Khon Kaen

$102 16.7% 26.9% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Khon Kaen

$73 11.9% 40.4% $49

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Khon Kaen

$6.1 * 1% 94.2% $98

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 $278 in Khon Kaen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $30.00 in Khon Kaen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $45.00 – making Khon Kaen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Khon Kaen

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

114,459

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Khon Kaen 1,350 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Khon Kaen

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 Khon Kaen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $613 in Khon Kaen – roughly 387% 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 $920 in Khon Kaen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khon Kaen, 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 $30.00 in Khon Kaen. 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 $613 in Khon Kaen. That's a gap of about 387%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Khon Kaen, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Khon Kaen 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 $613 in Khon Kaen 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 Khon Kaen. 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.