Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Phnom Penh

For one person, living is cheaper in Phnom Penh: $1,037 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Phnom Penh

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Phnom Penh $1,037

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,654 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Phnom Penh $1,654

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,271 in Phnom Penh, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Phnom Penh $2,271

Hong Kong costs about 188% more than Phnom Penh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 123% above the global median, while Phnom Penh is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$4.08 ៛16.6K

107.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$39.62 ៛160.7K

59.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$6.91 ៛28.0K

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.41

$3.02 ៛12.3K

62.25%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$1.87 ៛7,583

-32.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$0.61 ៛2,487

73.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$0.98 ៛3,969

683.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$2.94 ៛11.9K

113.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$2.17 ៛8,815

31.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.61 ៛6,516

50.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$1.07 ៛4,322

103.74%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$1.73 ៛7,033

104.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$14.96 ៛60.7K

67.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$4.07 ៛16.5K

118.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$9.25 ៛37.5K

90.59%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.22

$3.87 ៛15.7K

6.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$1.70 ៛6,889

60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$4.30 ៛17.4K

6.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$2.13 ៛8,659

88.73%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$1.62 ៛6,559

100.62%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$1.28 ៛5,180

155.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$1.15 ៛4,663

39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.77 ៛3,104

124.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$1.95 ៛7,895

573.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$11.20 ៛45.4K

48.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$1.03 ៛4,171

95.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$1.79 ៛7,274

21.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$0.47 ៛1,903

206.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$9.74 ៛39.5K

814.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.53

$1.10 ៛4,461

230.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$0.98 ៛3,960

33.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$5.15 ៛20.9K

207.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.35 ៛5,492

200.74%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$35.5K ៛144.1M

24.85%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$43.9K ៛177.9M

-14.79%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$106 ៛431.9K

132.38%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$7.39 ៛30.0K

115.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$25.24 ៛102.4K

-14.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$40.80 ៛165.5K

123.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$10.94 ៛44.4K

-17.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$4.97 ៛20.2K

180.89%

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

$1,155 HK$9,067

$665 ៛2.7M

73.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$11.0K ៛44.6M

102.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$27.67 ៛112.2K

148.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$24.26 ៛98.4K

66.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$89.8 ៛364.1K

-10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$59.1 ៛239.7K

99.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$639 ៛2.6M

241.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$370 ៛1.5M

364.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$1,148 ៛4.7M

339.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$803 ៛3.3M

341.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$2,883 ៛11.7M

911.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,488 ៛6.0M

1080.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$330 ៛1.3M

877.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

8.07

-51.55%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Phnom Penh: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9% 78.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5% 39.3% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5% 51.2% $146

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7% 46.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8% 34.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9% 57.5% $69

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7% 83.2% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $639 in Phnom Penh. 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 877% 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $40.00 in Phnom Penh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $252 – making Phnom Penh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

2,009,264 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, 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 = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,545 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Phnom Penh 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Phnom Penh

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 Phnom Penh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,037 in Phnom Penh – roughly 188% 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 $1,556 in Phnom Penh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phnom Penh, 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 $40.00 in Phnom Penh. 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 $1,037 in Phnom Penh. That's a gap of about 188%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phnom Penh, where all-in costs run around $1,037, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Phnom Penh 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 $1,037 in Phnom Penh 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 Phnom Penh. 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.