Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Samui: $1,183 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Koh Samui

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Koh Samui $1,183

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,939 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Koh Samui $1,939

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,694 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Koh Samui $2,694

Hong Kong costs about 152% more than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 123% above the global median, while Koh Samui is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$4.36 ฿146

94.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$32.80 ฿1,098

92.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$8.50 ฿285

-27.06%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$2.73 ฿91.3

79.49%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$0.94 ฿31.60

35.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$0.50 ฿16.59

112.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$2.54 ฿84.9

202.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$3.73 ฿125

68.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.74 ฿58.2

64.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.46 ฿48.79

66.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$1.56 ฿52.2

39.74%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$2.10 ฿70.3

68.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$19.60 ฿656

28.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$3.27 ฿110

171.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$10.94 ฿366

61.15%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$2.96 ฿99.0

38.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$1.69 ฿56.5

60.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$2.22 ฿74.2

106.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$2.10 ฿70.3

91.43%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$1.46 ฿48.79

122.60%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$1.33 ฿44.53

145.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$1.11 ฿37.27

44.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.51 ฿16.97

239.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$4.23 ฿142

210.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$18.25 ฿611

-9.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.74 ฿58.3

15.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$2.87 ฿95.9

-24.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$2.46 ฿82.5

-41.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$45.15 ฿1,512

97.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$3.08 ฿103

18.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$1.06 ฿35.62

23.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$3.89 ฿130

306.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.50 ฿50.3

170.67%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$28.2K ฿944.4K

57.29%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$27.7K ฿925.9K

35.11%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$102 ฿3,405

143.32%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$11.78 ฿394

34.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$17.76 ฿595

20.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$54.1 ฿1,812

68.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$11.53 ฿386

-21.25%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$7.73 ฿259

80.60%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$615 ฿20.6K

87.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$12.4K ฿415.9K

79.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$61.9 ฿2,073

11.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$28.96 ฿969

39.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$94.6 ฿3,167

-15.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$88.2 ฿2,951

33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$619 ฿20.7K

251.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$389 ฿13.0K

341.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,761 ฿59.0K

186.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$1,025 ฿34.3K

245.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$2,971 ฿99.5K

881.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$2,176 ฿72.8K

707.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$397 ฿13.3K

713.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.57

-29.80%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Koh Samui: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Koh Samui

$389 33.5% 77.4% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 35.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 53.9% $154

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 42% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 10.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 41.7% $50

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 39.6% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $619 in Koh Samui. 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 713% 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $33.00 in Koh Samui. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $267 – making Koh Samui the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

62,110

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Koh Samui 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Koh Samui

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 Koh Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,183 in Koh Samui – roughly 152% 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 $1,775 in Koh Samui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Samui, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong and $33.00 in Koh Samui. 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 $1,183 in Koh Samui. That's a gap of about 152%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Samui, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Koh Samui 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 $1,183 in Koh Samui 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 Koh Samui. 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.