Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Song Be

For one person, living is cheaper in Song Be: $839 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Song Be
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Song Be Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Song Be

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$839

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Song Be

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $839 in Song Be, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Song Be $839

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,363 in Song Be, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Song Be $1,363

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,887 in Song Be, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Song Be $1,887

Hong Kong costs about 258% more than Song Be, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Song Be is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$1.92 ₫49.6K

306.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$23.01 ₫595.6K

181.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$4.75 ₫123.1K

31.37%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$1.85 ₫47.9K

170.81%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$0.55 ₫14.3K

134.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.34 ₫8,819

226.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$1.08 ₫28.0K

619.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$1.70 ₫44.1K

277.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.64 ₫42.5K

76.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.06 ₫27.4K

119.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$1.06 ₫27.4K

110.38%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$1.62 ₫41.8K

112.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$11.93 ₫309.0K

109.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$3.66 ₫94.7K

140.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$10.42 ₫269.7K

69.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$2.98 ₫77.2K

39.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$1.26 ₫32.6K

108.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$1.57 ₫40.7K

189.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$1.25 ₫32.4K

227.20%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$1.18 ₫30.6K

172.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$1.19 ₫30.9K

173.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$0.73 ₫18.8K

126.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.52 ₫13.5K

234.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$1.25 ₫32.4K

976.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$12.87 ₫333.1K

17.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$0.89 ₫23.1K

121.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$1.47 ₫38.0K

51.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$0.35 ₫9,126

265.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$6.85 ₫177.5K

1215.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$0.74 ₫19.3K

395.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$0.62 ₫16.0K

117.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$3.00 ₫77.7K

440.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$0.90 ₫23.4K

366.67%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$31.4K ₫812.5M

43.00%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$29.7K ₫769.5M

23.86%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$105 ₫2.7M

125.82%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$5.87 ₫152.1K

167.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$10.60 ₫274.4K

106.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$25.41 ₫657.8K

258.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

$7.53 ₫195.0K

21.38%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$3.82 ₫98.9K

239.27%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$448 ₫11.6M

161.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-7.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$52.2 ₫1.4M

30.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$34.58 ₫895.3K

26.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$90.9 ₫2.4M

-8.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$94.9 ₫2.5M

29.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$362 ₫9.4M

522.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$280 ₫7.2M

526.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$836 ₫21.6M

518.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$675 ₫17.5M

424.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$1,961 ₫50.8M

1392.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,360 ₫35.2M

1184.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

8.64

-56.13%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Song Be: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Song Be

$280 33.3% 84% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Song Be

$206 24.6% 49.7% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Song Be

$122 14.5% 55.8% $154

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Song Be

$64 7.7% 68.3% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Song Be

$123 14.6% 14.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Song Be

$33 3.9% 71.8% $84

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Song Be

$12 1.4% 88.5% $94

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $362 in Song Be. 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 $23.00 in Song Be. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $206 – making Song Be the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇻🇳 Song Be

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

04:14 4:14 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, 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).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Song Be 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Song Be

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 Song Be: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $839 in Song Be – roughly 258% 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 $1,259 in Song Be. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Song Be, 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 $23.00 in Song Be. 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 $839 in Song Be. That's a gap of about 258%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Song Be, where all-in costs run around $839, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Song Be 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 $839 in Song Be 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 Song Be. 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.