Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Shiga

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiga: $1,191 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Shiga
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Shiga Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Shiga

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,191 in Shiga, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Shiga $1,191

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,880 in Shiga, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Shiga $1,880

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,568 in Shiga, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Shiga $2,568

Hong Kong costs about 150% more than Shiga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$6.14 ¥970

26.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$31.73 ¥5,013

103.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$4.96 ¥783

24.60%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$2.90 ¥458

75.17%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$1.28 ¥202

2.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.69 ¥108

57.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$2.69 ¥425

177.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$3.50 ¥554

85.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$1.28 ¥203

125.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$1.29 ¥204

79.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$3.81 ¥602

-44.09%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.05 ¥325

71.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$9.35 ¥1,478

164.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$9.43 ¥1,490

-9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$18.30 ¥2,891

-1.64%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.26 ¥515

28.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$2.01 ¥318

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$2.04 ¥322

120.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$4.10 ¥647

-1.71%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$1.57 ¥248

98.73%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$1.17 ¥184

169.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$1.30 ¥205

24.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$0.86 ¥136

102.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.88 ¥614

247.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$9.26 ¥1,462

78.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$1.95 ¥308

-0.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$3.14 ¥495

-30.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$1.10 ¥174

28.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$52.9 ¥8,350

67.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$3.70 ¥584

-0.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$3.09 ¥488

-57.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$21.14 ¥3,340

-25.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.04 ¥165

287.50%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$21.7K ¥3.4M

105.93%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$15.1K ¥2.4M

149.48%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$137 ¥21.6K

82.20%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$24.21 ¥3,825

-35.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$18.71 ¥2,955

16.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$52.5 ¥8,288

79.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$11.77 ¥1,859

18.18%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$518 ¥81.8K

124.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$12.8K ¥2.0M

70.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$47.28 ¥7,469

43.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$30.38 ¥4,800

37.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$73.6 ¥11.6K

8.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$91.0 ¥14.4K

33.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$536 ¥84.7K

318.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$329 ¥52.1K

421.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,113 ¥175.8K

353.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$724 ¥114.3K

374.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$4,138 ¥653.7K

605.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$1,525 ¥241.0K

1051.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$1,192 ¥188.3K

174.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

2.21

76.92%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Shiga: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Shiga

$330 27.7% 80.8% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Shiga

$293 24.6% 28.6% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Shiga

$180 15.1% 37.3% $107

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Shiga

$127 10.7% 36.9% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Shiga

$109 9.2% 22.2% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 37.7% $46

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Shiga

$76 6.4% 26.9% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $536 in Shiga. 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 174% 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 $32.00 in Shiga. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $293 – making Shiga the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Shiga

🕒 Local time

16:31 4:31 PM

17:31 5:31 PM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

23,836

💱 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 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).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong Shiga 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Shiga

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 Shiga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,191 in Shiga – roughly 150% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $1,787 in Shiga. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiga, 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 $32.00 in Shiga. 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 $1,191 in Shiga. That's a gap of about 150%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shiga, where all-in costs run around $1,191, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Shiga 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 $1,191 in Shiga 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 Shiga. 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.