Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Shiso

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiso: $1,048 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Shiso
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Shiso Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Shiso

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,048

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,048 in Shiso, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Shiso $1,048

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,913 in Shiso, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Shiso $1,913

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,777 in Shiso, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Shiso $2,777

Hong Kong costs about 187% more than Shiso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Shiso is 23% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$7.87 ¥1,244

-0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$68.0 ¥10.7K

-4.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$6.29 ¥993

-0.79%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$3.69 ¥584

35.77%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$0.83 ¥132

55.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.72 ¥114

54.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$2.58 ¥407

201.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$3.15 ¥497

103.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.52 ¥240

90.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$3.00 ¥474

-22.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$4.87 ¥769

-54.21%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$2.19 ¥346

57.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$10.19 ¥1,609

144.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$6.48 ¥1,023

35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$27.01 ¥4,267

-34.43%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$5.33 ¥842

-22.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$2.59 ¥409

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$4.06 ¥641

11.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$5.97 ¥943

-31.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$4.29 ¥678

-24.94%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$2.60 ¥411

25.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.38 ¥218

19.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.83 ¥130

109.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$4.11 ¥650

227.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$7.66 ¥1,211

97.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$1.92 ¥303

2.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.22 ¥351

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$1.36 ¥216

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$33.90 ¥5,356

165.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$3.57 ¥564

2.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$2.88 ¥455

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$20.87 ¥3,297

-22.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.28 ¥202

228.13%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$22.9K ¥3.6M

96.00%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$17.0K ¥2.7M

116.81%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$144 ¥22.8K

64.56%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$23.93 ¥3,781

-34.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$13.58 ¥2,146

61.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$36.74 ¥5,805

148.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

$13.71 ¥2,167

-33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$4.59 ¥726

182.35%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$283 ¥44.8K

313.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$13.6K ¥2.1M

63.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$10.06 ¥1,589

575.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$29.87 ¥4,720

45.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$33.76 ¥5,334

146.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$99.7 ¥15.7K

23.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$470 ¥74.3K

379.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$165 ¥26.0K

963.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$862 ¥136.1K

500.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$659 ¥104.2K

437.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$4,229 ¥668.1K

592.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,769 ¥279.5K

887.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

1.78

112.92%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Shiso: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Shiso

$165 15.7% 90.6% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Shiso

$368 35.2% 10.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Shiso

$182 17.4% 33.9% $93

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Shiso

$152 14.5% 25.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Shiso

$78 7.4% 45.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Shiso

$46 4.4% 60.8% $71

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Shiso

$57 5.5% 45.7% $48

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $470 in Shiso. 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 $68.0 in Shiso. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Hong Kong vs $368 in Shiso – so Shiso wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Shiso

🕒 Local time

12:19 12:19 PM

13:19 1:19 PM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

36,610

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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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Between locations

Hong Kong Shiso 2,430 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Shiso

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 Shiso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $1,048 in Shiso – roughly 187% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $1,572 in Shiso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiso, 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 $68.0 in Shiso. 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 $1,048 in Shiso. That's a gap of about 187%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Shiso, where all-in costs run around $1,048, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Shiso 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 $1,048 in Shiso 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 Shiso. 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.