Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and St. Andrews

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Andrews: $2,285 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
110

Cost of Living Index in St. Andrews
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St. Andrews Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

St. Andrews

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,285

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in St. Andrews

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,285 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
St. Andrews $2,285

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,891 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
St. Andrews $3,891

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $5,496 in St. Andrews, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
St. Andrews $5,496

Hong Kong costs about 32% more than St. Andrews, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and St. Andrews sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 122%, St. Andrews by 69%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$21.15 £15.87

-63.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$87.9 £65.9

-26.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$10.51 £7.89

-40.63%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$4.61 £3.46

8.68%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$2.84 £2.13

-54.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$2.10 £1.57

-47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$6.76 £5.07

14.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$6.76 £5.07

-5.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.51 £1.13

92.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.71 £1.28

36.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$2.03 £1.52

9.85%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$4.49 £3.37

-23.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$7.37 £5.53

238.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$9.65 £7.24

-8.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$15.41 £11.56

14.93%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$2.50 £1.88

66.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$1.33 £1.00

97.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$2.76 £2.07

64.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$2.86 £2.15

43.01%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$1.69 £1.27

90.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$1.52 £1.14

114.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.20 £0.90

37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$2.46 £1.85

-29.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$22.57 £16.93

-40.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$10.86 £8.15

39.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$2.70 £2.03

-27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.98 £2.24

-25.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$4.79 £3.59

-73.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$4.05 £3.04

-9.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$2.44 £1.83

-44.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$23.73 £17.80

-31.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$2.10 £1.58

100.00%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$38.3K £28.7K

17.14%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$41.2K £30.9K

-10.60%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$243 £182

-2.09%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$13.40 £10.06

17.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$41.64 £31.24

-47.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$91.6 £68.7

-0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$13.06 £9.80

-0.77%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$1,806 £1,355

-35.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$22.8K £17.1K

-2.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$95.6 £71.7

-28.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$48.97 £36.74

-11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$104 £77.8

-19.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$88.5 £66.4

38.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$1,366 £1,025

65.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$1,055 £792

66.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$3,104 £2,329

66.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$2,743 £2,058

29.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$6,137 £4,604

376.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$2,718 £2,039

542.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

$3,397 £2,548

-3.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.41

-29.94%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for St. Andrews: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

St. Andrews

$1.1K 46.2% 39.8% $697

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

St. Andrews

$304 13.3% 25.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

St. Andrews

$298 13% 8.2% $23

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

St. Andrews

$323 14.1% 59.5% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

St. Andrews

$152 6.6% 6.1% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

St. Andrews

$118 5.2% 0.5% $0.6

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

St. Andrews

$35 * 1.6% 66.5% $70

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $1,366 in St. Andrews. 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 3% higher in St. Andrews, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $88.0 in St. Andrews. Groceries tell a different story – $410 in Hong Kong vs $304 in St. Andrews – so St. Andrews wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇬🇧 St. Andrews

🕒 Local time

06:23 6:23 AM

23:23 11:23 PM

7 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

16,460

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong St. Andrews 9,480 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
St. Andrews

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 St. Andrews: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $2,285 in St. Andrews – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $3,428 in St. Andrews. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Andrews, 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 $88.0 in St. Andrews. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Hong Kong, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Andrews, where all-in costs run around $2,285, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In St. Andrews 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 $2,285 in St. Andrews 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 St. Andrews. 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.