Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Mackay

For one person, living is cheaper in Mackay: $2,222 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,222 in Mackay, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Mackay $2,222

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,485 in Mackay, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Mackay $3,485

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $4,748 in Mackay, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Mackay $4,748

Hong Kong costs about 34% more than Mackay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and Mackay sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Mackay by 66%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$17.39 A$24.89

-51.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$75.5 A$108

-16.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$12.53 A$17.93

-50.52%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$4.14 A$5.92

18.36%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$3.38 A$4.84

-62.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$2.71 A$3.87

-60.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$6.85 A$9.81

12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$7.06 A$10.10

-11.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.93 A$2.77

48.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$2.60 A$3.72

-6.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$2.86 A$4.09

-23.78%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$5.65 A$8.09

-37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$9.63 A$13.78

160.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$8.43 A$12.07

5.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$16.28 A$23.29

8.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$3.62 A$5.18

13.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$2.99 A$4.28

-9.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$2.99 A$4.27

53.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$6.62 A$9.48

-39.27%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$2.50 A$3.58

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$2.57 A$3.67

27.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$3.08 A$4.41

-48.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$3.09 A$4.42

-44.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$42.90 A$61.4

-69.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$8.52 A$12.20

94.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$4.99 A$7.14

-59.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$6.26 A$8.96

-65.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$2.49 A$3.57

-42.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$70.7 A$101

25.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$5.81 A$8.32

-37.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$2.11 A$3.02

-37.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$34.59 A$49.50

-54.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.21 A$1.73

235.54%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$27.2K A$38.9K

63.12%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$35.4K A$50.7K

5.49%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$230 A$329

7.79%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$29.33 A$41.97

-45.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$79.5 A$114

-72.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$51.8 A$74.1

76.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$20.63 A$29.52

-55.99%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$16.88 A$24.15

-17.30%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$1,856 A$2,656

-37.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$6,749 A$9,658

229.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$70.6 A$101

-2.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$51.0 A$73.0

-20.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$127 A$181

-36.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$105 A$150

12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$947 A$1,355

130.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$802 A$1,148

114.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,868 A$2,674

170.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$1,784 A$2,553

98.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$3,116 A$4,459

835.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,738 A$2,487

911.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$5,620 A$8,043

-42.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.63

-30.55%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Mackay: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Mackay

$802 36.9% 53.3% $916

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Mackay

$397 18.2% 4.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Mackay

$338 15.5% 18.8% $54

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Mackay

$299 13.7% 45.7% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Mackay

$159 7.3% 15% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Mackay

$86 3.9% 28.3% $34

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Mackay

$97 4.5% 7.6% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $947 in Mackay. 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 74% higher in Mackay, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $75.0 in Mackay. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Hong Kong vs $397 in Mackay – so Mackay wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Mackay

🕒 Local time

16:29 4:29 PM

18:29 6:29 PM

2 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

80,455

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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 = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong Mackay 6,140 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Mackay

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 Mackay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $2,222 in Mackay – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $3,333 in Mackay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mackay, 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 $75.0 in Mackay. 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 $2,222 in Mackay. That's a gap of about 34%.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Mackay, where all-in costs run around $2,222, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Mackay 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 $2,222 in Mackay 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 Mackay. 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.