Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Kumamoto

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumamoto: $1,275 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $20,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
Learn more

Kumamoto Living Index

Jump to prices

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,275 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Kumamoto $1,275

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,968 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Kumamoto $1,968

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,661 in Kumamoto, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Kumamoto $2,661

Hong Kong costs about 134% more than Kumamoto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Kumamoto is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$7.11 ¥1,123

9.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$31.31 ¥4,947

106.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$6.04 ¥955

2.32%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.21 ¥507

58.26%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.99 ¥157

32.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.76 ¥121

43.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$3.75 ¥593

99.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$2.24 ¥353

190.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.35 ¥213

114.07%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.85 ¥292

24.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$6.70 ¥1,058

-68.21%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$1.86 ¥293

89.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$18.45 ¥2,915

33.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$5.47 ¥865

55.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$18.63 ¥2,944

-3.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.57 ¥565

17.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.85 ¥292

44.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.89 ¥457

55.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$3.39 ¥535

18.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$2.19 ¥347

42.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$2.62 ¥414

20.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.06 ¥168

52.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.98 ¥154

77.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.87 ¥611

248.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$5.63 ¥890

193.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.66 ¥262

16.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$1.90 ¥300

14.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$1.37 ¥217

2.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$57.2 ¥9,037

54.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.85 ¥608

-4.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$2.08 ¥329

-36.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$18.13 ¥2,865

-13.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.10 ¥175

266.36%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

102.95%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$17.7K ¥2.8M

113.40%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$207 ¥32.7K

20.48%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$24.29 ¥3,838

-35.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$33.05 ¥5,222

-34.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$45.67 ¥7,215

106.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$10.98 ¥1,735

26.68%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$126 ¥20.0K

819.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$12.1K ¥1.9M

80.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$48.65 ¥7,685

39.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$26.06 ¥4,118

60.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$65.7 ¥10.4K

21.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$46.35 ¥7,323

162.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$524 ¥82.8K

327.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$325 ¥51.3K

429.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,110 ¥175.3K

354.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$722 ¥114.1K

375.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$4,521 ¥714.2K

545.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,747 ¥276.0K

905.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

1.97

98.48%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Kumamoto

$325 25.5% 81.1% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Kumamoto

$313 24.6% 23.7% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Kumamoto

$265 20.8% 7.8% $22

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Kumamoto

$144 11.3% 28.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Kumamoto

$84 6.6% 40% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Kumamoto

$68 5.3% 44.6% $54

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Kumamoto

$77 6% 26.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $524 in Kumamoto. 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 $31.00 in Kumamoto. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $313 – making Kumamoto the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

15:45 3:45 PM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

738,865

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Kumamoto 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Kumamoto

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 Kumamoto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,275 in Kumamoto – roughly 134% 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 $1,912 in Kumamoto. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kumamoto, 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 $31.00 in Kumamoto. 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 $1,275 in Kumamoto. That's a gap of about 134%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kumamoto, where all-in costs run around $1,275, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Kumamoto 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 $1,275 in Kumamoto 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 Kumamoto. 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.