Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Nong Khai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nong Khai: $921 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 Nong Khai
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Nong Khai Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Nong Khai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$921

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Nong Khai

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $921 in Nong Khai, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Nong Khai $921

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,498 in Nong Khai, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Nong Khai $1,498

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,076 in Nong Khai, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Nong Khai $2,076

Hong Kong costs about 224% more than Nong Khai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$2.94 ฿98.4

163.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$22.56 ฿754

186.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$7.01 ฿234

-11.84%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$2.05 ฿68.4

147.80%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.74 ฿24.89

77.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.37 ฿12.25

194.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$2.14 ฿71.4

249.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.02 ฿101

115.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.71 ฿57.0

69.01%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.45 ฿48.31

59.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$1.30 ฿43.37

63.85%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.14 ฿71.6

64.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$16.08 ฿537

53.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$2.75 ฿92.1

209.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$10.26 ฿343

75.44%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.10 ฿103

34.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.04 ฿34.83

157.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.24 ฿74.9

100.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$1.90 ฿63.7

112.11%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$1.46 ฿48.85

113.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.07 ฿35.69

194.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.11 ฿37.12

45.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.52 ฿17.34

234.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$4.35 ฿145

210.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$17.16 ฿574

-3.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.71 ฿57.1

13.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$2.80 ฿93.7

-22.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$0.92 ฿30.70

53.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$1.25 ฿41.66

195.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.09 ฿36.26

21.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$4.92 ฿164

220.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.41 ฿47.08

185.82%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$25.6K ฿856.5K

74.27%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$27.0K ฿902.6K

39.91%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$82.3 ฿2,749

203.45%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$11.37 ฿380

37.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$19.25 ฿643

13.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$46.45 ฿1,552

102.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$13.94 ฿466

-33.36%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$6.44 ฿215

115.99%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$571 ฿19.1K

103.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$10.6K ฿355.4K

105.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$51.2 ฿1,711

32.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$29.04 ฿971

44.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$76.4 ฿2,552

4.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$75.9 ฿2,536

60.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$439 ฿14.7K

410.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$299 ฿10.0K

473.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,396 ฿46.6K

261.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$729 ฿24.4K

370.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$1,942 ฿64.9K

1402.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,598 ฿53.4K

999.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$446 ฿14.9K

633.11%

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 Nong Khai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Nong Khai

$299 32.5% 82.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Nong Khai

$244 26.5% 40.6% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Nong Khai

$113 12.3% 60.7% $174

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Nong Khai

$90 9.8% 55.2% $111

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Nong Khai

$105 11.4% 25.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Nong Khai

$59 6.4% 51.4% $63

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Nong Khai

$10 * 1.1% 90.1% $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 $439 in Nong Khai. 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 633% 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 $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $23.00 in Nong Khai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $244 – making Nong Khai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Nong Khai

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

35,000

💱 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Nong Khai 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Nong Khai

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 Nong Khai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $921 in Nong Khai – roughly 224% 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 $1,381 in Nong Khai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nong Khai, 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 $23.00 in Nong Khai. 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Nong Khai, where all-in costs run around $921, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Nong Khai 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 $921 in Nong Khai 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 Nong Khai. 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.