Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Sendai

For one person, living is cheaper in Sendai: $1,161 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $22,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Sendai
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Sendai Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Sendai

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,161

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,161 in Sendai, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Sendai $1,161

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,835 in Sendai, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Sendai $1,835

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,510 in Sendai, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Sendai $2,510

Hong Kong costs about 159% more than Sendai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Sendai is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$6.23 ¥984

25.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$34.65 ¥5,474

86.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$4.50 ¥711

38.67%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$3.62 ¥571

38.40%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$0.94 ¥149

37.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.78 ¥124

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$1.87 ¥295

315.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$3.20 ¥505

100.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.45 ¥229

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.44 ¥227

61.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$6.64 ¥1,048

-66.42%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$2.09 ¥330

65.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$10.89 ¥1,721

129.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$11.91 ¥1,881

-26.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$9.00 ¥1,422

96.78%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$3.55 ¥560

16.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$2.20 ¥348

19.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$4.47 ¥707

1.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$3.24 ¥512

26.23%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$2.58 ¥407

24.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$2.27 ¥358

43.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.41 ¥222

17.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$1.25 ¥198

39.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$4.44 ¥701

202.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$7.01 ¥1,107

116.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$1.57 ¥248

25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.61 ¥413

-14.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$1.47 ¥232

-12.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$37.26 ¥5,886

141.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$5.23 ¥826

-29.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$18.42 ¥2,910

-12.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.06 ¥168

296.23%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$15.8K ¥2.5M

183.46%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$24.8K ¥3.9M

48.31%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$138 ¥21.8K

72.23%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$30.52 ¥4,822

-48.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$34.78 ¥5,495

-37.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$44.60 ¥7,046

104.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

$12.84 ¥2,029

-28.82%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$10.07 ¥1,590

28.70%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$229 ¥36.2K

412.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$3,792 ¥599.0K

485.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$56.1 ¥8,868

21.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$33.92 ¥5,359

28.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$35.34 ¥5,583

135.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$53.5 ¥8,455

129.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$560 ¥88.4K

302.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$327 ¥51.7K

435.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$692 ¥109.4K

647.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$715 ¥112.9K

395.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$2,638 ¥416.8K

1009.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,424 ¥225.0K

1126.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

$996 ¥157.3K

229.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

2.73

38.83%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sendai: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Sendai

$327 28.2% 81.3% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Sendai

$308 26.5% 24.9% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Sendai

$203 17.5% 26.1% $72

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Sendai

$129 11.1% 36.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Sendai

$81 6.9% 43.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Sendai

$65 5.6% 44.7% $52

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Sendai

$48 * 4.2% 54.2% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $560 in Sendai. 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 230% 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 $35.00 in Sendai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $308 – making Sendai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Sendai

🕒 Local time

04:45 4:45 AM

05:45 5:45 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

1,082,159

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Between locations

Hong Kong Sendai 3,100 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Sendai

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 Sendai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $1,161 in Sendai – roughly 159% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $1,742 in Sendai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sendai, 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 $35.00 in Sendai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,005 in Hong Kong and $1,161 in Sendai. That's a gap of about 159%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sendai, where all-in costs run around $1,161, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Sendai 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 $1,161 in Sendai to $3,005 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 Sendai. 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.