Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kolkata (Calcutta)

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta): $436 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Kolkata (Calcutta)
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Kolkata (Calcutta) Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Kolkata (Calcutta)

🇮🇳 India

$436

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $436 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Kolkata (Calcutta) $436

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $692 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Kolkata (Calcutta) $692

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $948 in Kolkata (Calcutta), rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Kolkata (Calcutta) $948

Hong Kong costs about 600% more than Kolkata (Calcutta), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Kolkata (Calcutta) is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$2.16 ₹203

287.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$14.07 ₹1,321

350.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$4.15 ₹389

57.35%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.32

$1.69 ₹158

204.73%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.44 ₹41.60

213.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.13 ₹12.65

769.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$1.85 ₹173

317.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.61

$3.00 ₹282

85.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.00

$0.72 ₹67.2

308.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.90

$0.46 ₹42.89

423.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.41

$0.72 ₹68.0

208.33%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.72

$1.06 ₹99.2

221.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$6.09 ₹572

280.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$3.05 ₹287

184.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.01

$2.51 ₹236

67.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.82 ₹76.9

214.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.67

$1.42 ₹134

229.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.32

$0.66 ₹61.8

506.06%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$0.29 ₹26.91

1000.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.47 ₹44.26

595.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.28

$0.30 ₹27.75

423.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.43

$0.26 ₹24.10

557.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$4.96 ₹466

168.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$10.53 ₹988

47.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.86

$1.75 ₹164

15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.81 ₹264

-18.86%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$7.06 ₹663

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.16 ₹14.68

668.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

$3.21 ₹302

2628.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.45

$0.59 ₹55.7

537.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.31 ₹29.03

319.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$1.69 ₹158

842.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.12 ₹105

281.25%

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

$45.0K HK$352.6K

$13.4K ₹1.3M

235.16%

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

$37.6K HK$294.7K

$22.7K ₹2.1M

65.81%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$51.1 ₹4,801

363.97%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$4.70 ₹442

228.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$7.51 ₹706

199.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$763

$14.88 ₹1,397

554.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

$12.41 ₹1,165

-27.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$3.10 ₹291

318.71%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$42.62 ₹4,002

2954.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$3,792 ₹356.1K

698.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$24.85 ₹2,334

173.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$25.78 ₹2,420

66.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$33.96 ₹3,189

139.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$27.91 ₹2,621

333.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$174 ₹16.3K

1274.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$107 ₹10.1K

1572.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$416 ₹39.0K

1269.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$241 ₹22.6K

1470.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

$1,072 ₹100.7K

2589.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

$623 ₹58.5K

2928.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

$365 ₹34.3K

774.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

-56.78%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kolkata (Calcutta): November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$107 24.6% 94% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$120 27.6% 70.4% $286

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$63 14.5% 77% $212

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$68 15.5% 67.6% $141

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$51 11.6% 64.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$21 4.8% 82.9% $102

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Kolkata (Calcutta)

$6 1.4% 94.2% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $174 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hong Kong are about 8.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong versus $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $120 – making Kolkata (Calcutta) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇮🇳 Kolkata (Calcutta)

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

22:11 10:11 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

4,486,679

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.65 USD

1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong Kolkata (Calcutta) 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Kolkata (Calcutta)

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 Kolkata (Calcutta): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $436 in Kolkata (Calcutta) – Kolkata (Calcutta) comes out roughly 86% 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 $654 in Kolkata (Calcutta). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kolkata (Calcutta), especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $174 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $14 in Kolkata (Calcutta). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,050 in Hong Kong and $436 in Kolkata (Calcutta). That makes Kolkata (Calcutta) about 86% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolkata (Calcutta), where all-in costs run around $436, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Kolkata (Calcutta) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kolkata (Calcutta) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kolkata (Calcutta). If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.