Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Sale

For one person, living is cheaper in Sale: $2,445 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
121

Cost of Living Index in Sale
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Sale Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Sale

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,445 in Sale, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Sale $2,445

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,589 in Sale, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Sale $3,589

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $4,732 in Sale, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Sale $4,732

Hong Kong costs about 22% more than Sale, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and Sale sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, Sale by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$15.16 A$21.72

-48.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$82.4 A$118

-21.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$11.48 A$16.45

-46.17%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.80 A$5.44

33.68%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$3.10 A$4.44

-57.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$2.10 A$3.02

-48.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$8.47 A$12.13

-11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$7.86 A$11.25

-17.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.60 A$2.29

80.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$2.49 A$3.56

-7.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$2.27 A$3.26

-6.17%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.64

$5.54 A$7.94

-36.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$9.18 A$13.15

169.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$8.97 A$12.85

-5.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$15.39 A$22.05

16.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.60 A$5.15

16.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$2.89 A$4.15

-7.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.99 A$4.28

50.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$4.20 A$6.02

-4.05%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$2.75 A$3.94

13.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$2.29 A$3.28

37.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.74

$2.12 A$3.04

-23.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$1.36 A$1.95

27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$44.03 A$63.1

-69.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$15.02 A$21.52

10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$4.58 A$6.56

-57.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$5.23 A$7.49

-58.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$2.91 A$4.17

-51.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$84.6 A$121

4.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.92 A$5.62

-5.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.49 A$2.13

-11.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$45.41 A$65.1

-65.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.15 A$1.64

250.43%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$26.1K A$37.4K

70.96%

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

$37.8K HK$296.5K

$28.3K A$40.5K

33.72%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$210 A$301

18.91%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$31.51 A$45.14

-50.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$60.5 A$86.7

-64.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$62.9 A$90.1

49.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$16.87 A$24.17

-44.93%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$15.86 A$22.72

-12.30%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$2,317 A$3,319

-49.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$21.8K A$31.2K

0.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$73.7 A$106

-7.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$50.6 A$72.4

-17.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$102 A$147

-22.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$107 A$153

13.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$1,502 A$2,151

49.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$1,150 A$1,648

49.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$2,440 A$3,496

106.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$1,855 A$2,657

85.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$6,605 A$9,462

341.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$4,309 A$6,173

307.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.84

-33.05%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sale: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Sale

$1.2K 47.1% 33.1% $568

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Sale

$360 14.7% 12.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Sale

$302 12.4% 5.2% $15

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Sale

$280 11.5% 39.1% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Sale

$150 6.1% 7.2% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Sale

$95 3.9% 22.5% $27

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Sale

$108 4.4% 2.9% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $1,502 in Sale. 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 $82.0 in Sale. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Hong Kong vs $360 in Sale – so Sale wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Sale

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

10:26 10:26 AM

3 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

13,673

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.78 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Sale 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Sale

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 Sale: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $2,445 in Sale – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $3,667 in Sale. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sale, 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 $82.0 in Sale. 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 $2,445 in Sale. That's a gap of about 22%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,984 in Hong Kong and $2,445 in Sale. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,445 in Sale 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 Sale. 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.