Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $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.

Hong Kong, Hong Kong (China)
Ragama, Sri Lanka
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,050
/mo nomad
Ragama
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$510
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

  • Hong Kong $3,050
  • Ragama $510

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $828 in Ragama, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,786
  • Ragama $828

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,146 in Ragama, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,522
  • Ragama $1,146

Hong Kong costs about 498% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.37 HK$65.6
$3.88 LKR 1,289
115.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.4 HK$497
$24.68 LKR 8,207
156.81%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.53 HK$51.2
$7.40 LKR 2,459
-11.76%
Cappuccino
$5.15 HK$40.33
$2.44 LKR 813
111.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.38 HK$10.80
$0.67 LKR 223
105.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 HK$8.86
$0.25 LKR 82.8
352.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.73 HK$60.6
$2.22 LKR 740
248.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.56 HK$43.62
$2.96 LKR 984
87.84%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.94 HK$23.01
$1.64 LKR 544
79.27%
White Bread (500g)
$2.41 HK$18.91
$0.53 LKR 176
354.72%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.22 HK$17.42
$0.80 LKR 267
177.50%
Eggs
$3.41 HK$26.73
$1.63 LKR 542
109.20%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$23.18 HK$182
$15.16 LKR 5,041
52.90%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.67 HK$68.0
$5.02 LKR 1,668
72.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.90 HK$140
$7.73 LKR 2,569
131.57%
Apples (1kg)
$4.21 HK$33.02
$6.65 LKR 2,211
-36.69%
Banana (1kg)
$2.58 HK$20.19
$0.87 LKR 290
196.55%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.68 HK$36.68
$4.17 LKR 1,387
12.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.00 HK$31.33
$1.27 LKR 422
214.96%
Potato (1kg)
$3.19 HK$24.98
$1.03 LKR 343
209.71%
Onion (1kg)
$3.27 HK$25.60
$0.82 LKR 273
298.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.57 HK$12.29
$1.21 LKR 404
29.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71 HK$13.44
$0.46 LKR 152
271.74%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.33 HK$105
$10.12 LKR 3,365
31.72%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.56 HK$122
$13.32 LKR 4,429
16.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.02 HK$15.87
$1.89 LKR 627
6.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.28 HK$17.83
$2.86 LKR 951
-20.28%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
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$29.46
$0.40 LKR 134
840.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 HK$10.19
$0.31 LKR 102
319.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.93 HK$125
$0.87 LKR 289
1731.03%
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$352.7K
$42.8K LKR 14.2M
5.10%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.6K HK$294.8K
$45.3K LKR 15.1M
-17.03%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$237 HK$1,859
$56.8 LKR 18.9K
317.50%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.46 HK$121
$4.18 LKR 1,389
269.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.46 HK$176
$20.40 LKR 6,784
10.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$97.4 HK$764
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.02 HK$70.7
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$12.98 HK$102
$4.62 LKR 1,535
180.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,302 HK$10.2K
$40.68 LKR 13.5K
3100.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$30.3K HK$237.2K
$17.0K LKR 5.7M
77.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$533
$17.86 LKR 5,939
280.57%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.80 HK$335
$17.69 LKR 5,881
141.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$81.3 HK$637
$79.7 LKR 26.5K
2.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$121 HK$949
$41.15 LKR 13.7K
194.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
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
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Ragama
Difference
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 Ragama: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.8K
Ragama
- * 100%
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$407
Ragama
$244 40.1% $163
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$275
Ragama
$81 70.4% $194
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$208
Ragama
$103 50.4% $105
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$141
Ragama
$70 50.1% $71
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$123
Ragama
$9.2 * 92.5% $114
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$103
Ragama
$1.9 * 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 Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $244 – making Ragama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇱🇰 Ragama
🕒 Local time
16:25 4:25 PM
13:55 1:55 PM
2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
15,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.128 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 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 = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Ragama 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Ragama compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $510 in Ragama – Ragama comes out roughly 83% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Ragama?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,576 per month in Hong Kong and $765 in Ragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $25 in Ragama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 67% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Ragama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hong Kong and Ragama?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $510 in Ragama to $3,050 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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