Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and St. Thomas

For one person, living is cheaper in St. Thomas: $2,432 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
111

Cost of Living Index in St. Thomas
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St. Thomas Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

St. Thomas

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,432 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
St. Thomas $2,432

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,274 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
St. Thomas $3,274

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $4,117 in St. Thomas, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
St. Thomas $4,117

Hong Kong costs about 23% more than St. Thomas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and St. Thomas sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, St. Thomas by 80%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$21.05 CA$29.76

-63.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$62.6 CA$88.5

3.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$11.38 CA$16.09

-45.69%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.32 CA$4.69

53.01%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$2.19 CA$3.10

-40.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$1.59 CA$2.24

-31.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$5.02 CA$7.10

48.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$5.89 CA$8.33

10.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$2.08 CA$2.95

38.94%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$2.61 CA$3.69

-11.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$3.73 CA$5.27

-42.90%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$3.09 CA$4.37

13.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$9.94 CA$14.05

148.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$15.43 CA$21.81

-44.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$19.20 CA$27.15

-6.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$3.86 CA$5.46

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$1.24 CA$1.75

116.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$3.49 CA$4.94

28.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$3.97 CA$5.61

1.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$3.36 CA$4.76

-7.14%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$3.07 CA$4.34

2.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$2.85 CA$4.03

-43.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$1.46 CA$2.06

19.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$10.98 CA$15.52

22.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$12.74 CA$18.01

29.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$2.40 CA$3.39

-19.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$2.78 CA$3.93

-21.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$2.25 CA$3.18

-37.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

$58.7 CA$82.9

51.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$2.30 CA$3.26

60.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$1.62 CA$2.29

-18.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$21.70 CA$30.68

-27.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.13 CA$1.59

256.64%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$28.0K CA$39.6K

59.33%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$19.7K CA$27.9K

91.71%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$123 CA$174

102.29%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$42.76 CA$60.5

-63.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$55.5 CA$78.4

-60.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$44.43 CA$62.8

111.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

$20.32 CA$28.72

-54.28%

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$10.33 CA$14.61

34.66%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$399 CA$564

191.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$16.7K CA$23.5K

31.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$53.5 CA$75.7

26.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$35.84 CA$50.7

16.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$82.2 CA$116

-3.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$90.6 CA$128

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$1,148 CA$1,622

95.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$1,267 CA$1,792

35.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$1,794 CA$2,537

180.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$1,470 CA$2,078

133.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$4,187 CA$5,919

596.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$3,561 CA$5,034

393.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$2,970 CA$4,198

10.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

4.99

-21.64%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for St. Thomas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

St. Thomas

$1.3K 52.1% 26.2% $451

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

St. Thomas

$387 15.9% 5.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

St. Thomas

$222 9.1% 22.8% $65

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

St. Thomas

$294 12.1% 46.2% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

St. Thomas

$118 4.9% 15.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

St. Thomas

$65 2.7% 46.6% $57

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

St. Thomas

$78 3.2% 25.3% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $1,148 in St. Thomas. 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 10% 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $387 – making St. Thomas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇨🇦 St. Thomas

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

14:52 2:52 PM

12 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

38,909

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, 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).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong St. Thomas 12,610 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
St. Thomas

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. Thomas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $2,432 in St. Thomas – roughly 23% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $3,648 in St. Thomas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in St. Thomas, 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 $63.0 in St. Thomas. 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 $2,432 in St. Thomas. That's a gap of about 23%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in St. Thomas, where all-in costs run around $2,432, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In St. Thomas 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 $2,432 in St. Thomas 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 St. Thomas. 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.