Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Hong Kong: $2,984 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Sydney despite lower rent and utilities.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,182 in Sydney, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Sydney $3,182

A couple spends around $4,558 per month in Hong Kong vs $4,696 in Sydney, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,558
Sydney $4,696

A family of three spends $6,132 per month in Hong Kong vs $6,210 in Sydney, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,132
Sydney $6,210

Hong Kong is about 6% cheaper than Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hong Kong and Sydney sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 123%, Sydney by 137%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$17.66 A$25.37

-52.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$97.1 A$139

-34.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$11.94 A$17.15

-48.07%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.42

$4.00 A$5.75

22.50%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$2.84 A$4.07

-55.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$2.27 A$3.26

-53.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$7.89 A$11.33

-2.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$7.13 A$10.24

-11.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.66 A$2.39

72.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$2.79 A$4.01

-12.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$2.32 A$3.34

-6.03%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$5.53 A$7.94

-35.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$12.08 A$17.35

107.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$9.84 A$14.14

-9.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$16.61 A$23.87

6.14%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.23

$4.02 A$5.78

2.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$3.15 A$4.53

-13.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$3.50 A$5.03

31.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$4.47 A$6.42

-10.07%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$3.32 A$4.77

-2.11%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$2.30 A$3.31

42.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$2.34 A$3.37

-31.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$1.15 A$1.66

50.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$45.02 A$64.7

-70.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$13.96 A$20.05

18.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$3.98 A$5.72

-49.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$4.07 A$5.84

-46.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$3.16 A$4.54

-54.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$150 A$215

-40.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.54

$3.45 A$4.96

5.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$1.63 A$2.34

-19.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$39.98 A$57.4

-60.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$1.40 A$2.01

190.00%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$28.4K A$40.8K

56.10%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$29.4K A$42.2K

27.07%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$220 A$316

12.54%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$27.70 A$39.79

-42.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$55.5 A$79.8

-61.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$74.3 A$107

22.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$23.95 A$34.41

-62.09%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$17.73 A$25.46

-21.26%

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

$1,155 HK$9,068

$2,157 A$3,098

-46.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$28.3K A$40.6K

-21.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$78.4 A$113

-12.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$70.5 A$101

-42.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$111 A$160

-28.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$132 A$189

-10.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$2,514 A$3,612

-13.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$1,732 A$2,487

-0.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$4,889 A$7,022

3.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$3,039 A$4,365

16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$13.2K A$19.0K

120.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$8,117 A$11.7K

116.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$4,082 A$5,864

-20.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

5.84

-33.05%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5% 0.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Sydney

$380 12% 8.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Sydney

$303 9.6% 6.4% $18

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Sydney

$299 9.4% 45.8% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Sydney

$176 5.6% 27.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Sydney

$110 3.5% 8% $9.5

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Sydney

$174 5.5% 65.8% $69

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $2,514 in Sydney. 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 26% higher in Sydney, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong versus $97.0 in Sydney. Groceries tell a different story – $415 in Hong Kong vs $380 in Sydney – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

18:31 6:31 PM

21:31 9:31 PM

3 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Sydney 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $3,182 in Sydney – roughly 7% 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 $4,774 in Sydney. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hong Kong, 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 $63.0 in Hong Kong and $97.0 in Sydney. 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 $3,182 in Sydney. That's a gap of about 7%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,984 in Hong Kong and $3,182 in Sydney. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,984 in Hong Kong to $3,182 in Sydney. 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 Hong Kong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.