Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Seongnam

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,405 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Seongnam
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Seongnam Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Seongnam

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,405

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,405 in Seongnam, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Seongnam $1,405

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,330 in Seongnam, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Seongnam $2,330

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,255 in Seongnam, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Seongnam $3,255

Hong Kong costs about 112% more than Seongnam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hong Kong and Seongnam sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, Seongnam by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$6.61 ₩8,787

17.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$40.26 ₩53.5K

60.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$6.67 ₩8,870

-7.35%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$4.16 ₩5,528

22.12%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$1.59 ₩2,120

-17.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.82 ₩1,093

32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$3.56 ₩4,727

109.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.81 ₩5,065

70.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$2.26 ₩3,005

27.88%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$3.08 ₩4,098

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$3.59 ₩4,779

-40.67%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$3.61 ₩4,804

-2.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$9.24 ₩12.3K

167.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$7.73 ₩10.3K

10.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$21.02 ₩27.9K

-14.37%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$7.75 ₩10.3K

-46.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$3.42 ₩4,552

-21.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$5.87 ₩7,808

-23.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$6.99 ₩9,288

-42.35%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$3.60 ₩4,793

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$2.52 ₩3,354

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$2.80 ₩3,725

-42.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$1.33 ₩1,766

30.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.45 ₩4,584

291.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$18.42 ₩24.5K

-10.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$2.09 ₩2,776

-7.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$1.82 ₩2,422

19.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$1.03 ₩1,368

36.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.64 ₩4,841

1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$0.66 ₩876

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$8.86 ₩11.8K

77.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.36 ₩1,811

196.32%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$29.3K ₩39.0M

52.38%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$28.4K ₩37.8M

33.04%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$207 ₩275.9K

20.29%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$36.39 ₩48.4K

-57.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$20.67 ₩27.5K

5.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$51.6 ₩68.6K

82.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$12.09 ₩16.1K

-23.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$10.99 ₩14.6K

26.57%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$532 ₩707.0K

118.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$17.7K ₩23.5M

23.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$57.6 ₩76.6K

18.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$32.21 ₩42.8K

30.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$69.7 ₩92.6K

14.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$81.8 ₩108.8K

48.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$478 ₩635.4K

368.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$366 ₩486.9K

369.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,168 ₩1.6M

331.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$1,035 ₩1.4M

231.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$7,163 ₩9.5M

307.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$5,429 ₩7.2M

223.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

4.08

-4.17%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Seongnam

$366 26.1% 78.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Seongnam

$423 30.1% 3.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Seongnam

$265 18.8% 7.8% $22

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Seongnam

$158 11.2% 21.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Seongnam

$109 7.7% 22.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Seongnam

$74 5.2% 39.7% $48

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Seongnam

$11 * 0.8% 89.4% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $478 in Seongnam. 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 $40.00 in Seongnam. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Hong Kong vs $423 in Seongnam – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇰🇷 Seongnam

🕒 Local time

03:19 3:19 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

967,510

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Seongnam 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Seongnam

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 Seongnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,405 in Seongnam – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,108 in Seongnam. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, 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 $40.00 in Seongnam. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Hong Kong – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seongnam, where all-in costs run around $1,405, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Seongnam 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 $1,405 in Seongnam 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 Seongnam. 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.