Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Nuwara Eliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $510 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

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Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

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Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Nuwara Eliya

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $510 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Nuwara Eliya $510

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $827 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Nuwara Eliya $827

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,145 in Nuwara Eliya, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Nuwara Eliya $1,145

Hong Kong costs about 499% more than Nuwara Eliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Nuwara Eliya is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$3.85 LKR 1,281

117.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$24.56 LKR 8,166

158.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$7.65 LKR 2,544

-14.64%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.32

$2.43 LKR 808

111.93%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.37 LKR 122

272.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.25 LKR 82.5

352.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$2.19 LKR 728

252.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.61

$3.03 LKR 1,008

83.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.00

$1.56 LKR 520

88.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.90

$0.53 LKR 175

354.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.41

$0.74 LKR 247

200.00%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.72

$1.70 LKR 564

100.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$15.44 LKR 5,134

50.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$5.10 LKR 1,695

70.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

$7.42 LKR 2,466

141.24%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.01

$6.74 LKR 2,242

-37.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.84 LKR 279

207.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.67

$4.17 LKR 1,388

12.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.32

$1.27 LKR 422

214.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$1.08 LKR 360

195.37%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.83 LKR 276

293.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.28

$1.21 LKR 403

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.43

$0.45 LKR 150

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$10.43 LKR 3,470

27.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$13.78 LKR 4,581

12.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.86

$1.93 LKR 643

4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.97 LKR 989

-23.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.45

$0.37 LKR 124

916.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.31 LKR 103

319.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$0.86 LKR 286

1752.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.33 LKR 441

221.05%

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

$45.0K HK$352.6K

$43.7K LKR 14.5M

2.92%

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

$37.6K HK$294.7K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-17.60%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

320.53%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$4.13 LKR 1,375

274.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$20.61 LKR 6,852

8.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$763

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$4.50 LKR 1,496

188.44%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$39.94 LKR 13.3K

3159.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

73.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$18.00 LKR 5,986

277.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$17.55 LKR 5,837

143.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

2.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$41.09 LKR 13.7K

194.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

12.5

-68.88%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Nuwara Eliya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Nuwara Eliya

$245 48.1% 39.8% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Nuwara Eliya

$81 15.9% 70.5% $194

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Nuwara Eliya

$102 20.1% 50.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Nuwara Eliya

$70 13.8% 50.1% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Nuwara Eliya

$9 * 1.8% 92.7% $114

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Nuwara Eliya

$1.9 * 0.4% 98.1% $101

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong versus $25 in Nuwara Eliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $245 – making Nuwara Eliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🕒 Local time

06:35 6:35 AM

04:05 4:05 AM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

27,500

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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 = 8.76 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Between locations

Hong Kong Nuwara Eliya 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Nuwara Eliya

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 Nuwara Eliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $510 in Nuwara Eliya – Nuwara Eliya comes out roughly 83% 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 $764 in Nuwara Eliya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $25 in Nuwara Eliya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 66% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nuwara Eliya, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Nuwara Eliya 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 $510 in Nuwara Eliya to $3,050 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.