Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Maha Sarakham

For one person, living is cheaper in Maha Sarakham: $919 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 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
45

Cost of Living Index in Maha Sarakham
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Maha Sarakham Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Maha Sarakham

🇹🇭 Thailand

$919

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Maha Sarakham

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $919 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Maha Sarakham $919

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,507 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Maha Sarakham $1,507

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,094 in Maha Sarakham, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Maha Sarakham $2,094

Hong Kong costs about 225% more than Maha Sarakham, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Maha Sarakham is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$3.05 ฿102

154.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$22.47 ฿751

187.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$7.08 ฿237

-12.71%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$2.12 ฿71.0

139.62%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.73 ฿24.23

79.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.33 ฿11.15

230.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$2.02 ฿67.6

269.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.04 ฿102

113.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.74 ฿58.2

66.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.39 ฿46.53

66.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$1.35 ฿45.20

57.78%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.07 ฿69.1

70.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$16.39 ฿548

50.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$2.75 ฿92.0

209.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$10.23 ฿342

75.95%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.03 ฿101

37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.08 ฿36.10

148.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.16 ฿72.3

107.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$1.90 ฿63.4

112.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$1.49 ฿49.65

109.40%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.11 ฿37.11

183.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.12 ฿37.41

44.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.48 ฿16.12

262.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$4.44 ฿149

204.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$17.25 ฿577

-4.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.70 ฿56.9

14.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$2.78 ฿92.8

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$0.90 ฿30.10

56.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$1.26 ฿42.02

192.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.12 ฿37.42

17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$4.93 ฿165

219.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.34 ฿44.74

200.75%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$26.0K ฿869.7K

71.61%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$26.4K ฿881.4K

43.27%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$82.5 ฿2,755

202.72%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$11.45 ฿383

36.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$19.19 ฿641

13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$47.10 ฿1,574

99.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$13.97 ฿467

-33.50%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$6.63 ฿222

109.80%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$563 ฿18.8K

106.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

104.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$51.3 ฿1,715

32.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$29.17 ฿975

43.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$78.1 ฿2,610

2.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$76.8 ฿2,565

58.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$441 ฿14.7K

408.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$293 ฿9,807

485.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,382 ฿46.2K

264.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$740 ฿24.7K

364.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$1,901 ฿63.5K

1434.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,610 ฿53.8K

991.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

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 10, 2026

Last update for Maha Sarakham: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Maha Sarakham

$293 31.9% 82.9% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Maha Sarakham

$244 26.6% 40.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Maha Sarakham

$113 12.3% 60.6% $174

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Maha Sarakham

$92 10% 54.6% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Maha Sarakham

$106 11.5% 24.4% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Maha Sarakham

$60 6.6% 50.5% $62

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Maha Sarakham

$10 * 1.1% 90% $94

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 $441 in Maha Sarakham. 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 $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $244 – making Maha Sarakham the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Maha Sarakham

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

46,523

💱 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 Maha Sarakham 1,330 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Maha Sarakham

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 Maha Sarakham: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $919 in Maha Sarakham – roughly 225% 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 $1,378 in Maha Sarakham. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maha Sarakham, 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 $22.00 in Maha Sarakham. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 68% more in Hong Kong, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maha Sarakham, where all-in costs run around $919, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Maha Sarakham 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 $919 in Maha Sarakham 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 Maha Sarakham. 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.