Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Setagaya-ku

For one person, living is cheaper in Setagaya-ku: $1,183 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Setagaya-ku
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,183
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,183 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Setagaya-ku $1,183

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,834 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,584
  • Setagaya-ku $1,834

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,484 in Setagaya-ku, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,183
  • Setagaya-ku $2,484

Hong Kong costs about 152% more than Setagaya-ku, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Setagaya-ku is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.75 HK$60.8
$6.12 ¥968
26.63%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$25.64 ¥4,050
152.26%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 HK$48.51
$4.36 ¥690
41.74%
Cappuccino
$5.08 HK$39.85
$2.97 ¥470
71.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.31
$1.04 ¥165
25.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 HK$8.56
$0.65 ¥102
67.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.47 HK$58.6
$2.19 ¥346
241.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 HK$51.0
$3.22 ¥508
101.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.89 HK$22.71
$1.23 ¥194
134.96%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 HK$18.14
$1.72 ¥272
34.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.71
$3.64 ¥575
-41.48%
Eggs
$3.52 HK$27.65
$1.17 ¥186
200.85%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.72 HK$194
$10.40 ¥1,643
137.69%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 HK$66.9
$6.11 ¥965
39.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.00 HK$141
$14.25 ¥2,252
26.32%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 HK$32.79
$5.59 ¥883
-25.22%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 HK$21.07
$2.74 ¥433
-2.19%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 HK$35.22
$2.95 ¥466
52.20%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 HK$31.66
$4.14 ¥654
-2.66%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 HK$24.51
$2.62 ¥415
19.08%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 HK$24.72
$2.63 ¥416
19.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 HK$12.75
$1.24 ¥196
30.65%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.66
$0.56 ¥87.7
210.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.50 HK$106
$3.79 ¥599
256.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.54 HK$130
$6.26 ¥989
164.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 HK$15.19
$1.81 ¥287
7.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.11
$2.09 ¥330
4.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 HK$11.04
$1.46 ¥231
-3.42%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 HK$696
$50.7 ¥8,012
74.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 HK$28.94
$3.23 ¥510
14.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 HK$10.36
$2.66 ¥421
-50.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.77 HK$124
$20.85 ¥3,294
-24.36%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.03 HK$31.65
$1.10 ¥174
266.36%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K HK$350.5K
$21.2K ¥3.4M
110.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K HK$296.6K
$18.6K ¥2.9M
103.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 HK$1,959
$131 ¥20.6K
91.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.60 HK$122
$23.82 ¥3,764
-34.51%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.77 HK$171
$31.73 ¥5,013
-31.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.2 HK$739
$55.0 ¥8,691
71.19%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 HK$72.9
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 HK$109
$11.52 ¥1,820
20.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,162 HK$9,122
$636 ¥100.5K
82.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K HK$171.6K
$14.7K ¥2.3M
48.63%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$534
$62.3 ¥9,846
9.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.91 HK$329
$36.37 ¥5,747
15.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 HK$626
$62.1 ¥9,814
28.36%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$102 ¥16.2K
19.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 HK$17.6K
$534 ¥84.4K
319.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$325 ¥51.4K
428.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,041 HK$39.6K
$1,152 ¥182.0K
337.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,435 HK$27.0K
$674 ¥106.4K
409.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.2K HK$229.0K
$3,724 ¥588.4K
683.52%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$1,635 ¥258.4K
974.48%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Setagaya-ku
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,271 HK$25.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
2
95.50%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Setagaya-ku: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Setagaya-ku
$325 81.1% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$411
Setagaya-ku
$281 31.7% $130
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$287
Setagaya-ku
$186 35.1% $101
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$201
Setagaya-ku
$122 39.5% $80
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$140
Setagaya-ku
$118 15.5% $22
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$122
Setagaya-ku
$78 36% $44
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Setagaya-ku
$73 30.1% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $534 in Setagaya-ku. 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 $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $281 – making Setagaya-ku the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇯🇵 Setagaya-ku
🕒 Local time
10:08 10:08 AM
11:08 11:08 AM
1 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
943,664
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Setagaya-ku 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Setagaya-ku

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 Setagaya-ku: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Setagaya-ku compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,183 in Setagaya-ku – roughly 152% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Setagaya-ku?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $1,775 in Setagaya-ku. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Setagaya-ku?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Setagaya-ku, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $26.00 in Setagaya-ku. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hong Kong or Setagaya-ku?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,183 in Setagaya-ku. That's a gap of about 152%.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Setagaya-ku, where all-in costs run around $1,183, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Setagaya-ku 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 Setagaya-ku?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,183 in Setagaya-ku to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hong Kong or Setagaya-ku safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Hong Kong and Setagaya-ku?
If budget matters most, go with Setagaya-ku. 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.

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