Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Surat Thani $2,053

Hong Kong costs about 288% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Surat Thani is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$1.89 ฿63.0

312.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$17.87 ฿597

262.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$4.51 ฿151

38.36%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$1.50 ฿50.2

234.00%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$0.50 ฿16.68

158.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.29 ฿9.66

282.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$2.56 ฿85.4

203.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$3.69 ฿123

73.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.66 ฿55.4

74.70%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.19 ฿39.89

95.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$1.17 ฿39.13

90.60%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$1.87 ฿62.4

84.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$19.18 ฿641

30.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$3.33 ฿111

163.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$7.44 ฿249

138.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$2.91 ฿97.2

42.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$1.68 ฿56.3

56.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$1.76 ฿58.7

157.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$2.05 ฿68.4

99.51%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$1.30 ฿43.57

147.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$1.37 ฿45.90

137.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.11 ฿37.24

48.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.41 ฿13.66

324.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$3.07 ฿103

338.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$18.86 ฿630

-19.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$1.54 ฿51.6

27.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$1.82 ฿60.7

21.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$1.02 ฿34.00

25.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$20.95 ฿700

330.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$1.18 ฿39.50

211.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$0.63 ฿21.05

114.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$3.49 ฿117

364.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.16 ฿38.93

262.07%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$26.6K ฿890.1K

68.50%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

34.95%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$72.9 ฿2,437

225.82%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$11.12 ฿372

41.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$17.32 ฿579

26.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$48.24 ฿1,612

88.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

$11.52 ฿385

-20.66%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$4.53 ฿151

186.09%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$549 ฿18.3K

113.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$11.6K ฿386.5K

91.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$61.9 ฿2,070

9.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$29.16 ฿974

49.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$97.3 ฿3,252

-14.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$86.5 ฿2,892

41.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$237 ฿7,910

852.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$149 ฿4,985

1074.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$1,150 ฿38.4K

349.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$709 ฿23.7K

399.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$2,226 ฿74.4K

1214.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,404 ฿46.9K

1144.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 91.5% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 40.5% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 63.2% $174

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 65.5% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 13.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 51.1% $60

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 72.2% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $237 in Surat Thani. 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $244 – making Surat Thani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

21:21 9:21 PM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

132,040

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Surat Thani 2,150 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $775 in Surat Thani – roughly 288% 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 $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, 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 $18.00 in Surat Thani. 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 $775 in Surat Thani. That's a gap of about 288%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Surat Thani 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 $775 in Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani. 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.