Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Tsu

For one person, living is cheaper in Tsu: $1,269 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $20,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Tsu
🇯🇵 Japan
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,269 in Tsu, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Tsu $1,269

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,979 in Tsu, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,584
  • Tsu $1,979

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,688 in Tsu, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,183
  • Tsu $2,688

Hong Kong costs about 135% more than Tsu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Tsu is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.75 HK$60.8
$6.48 ¥1,023
19.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$17.81 ¥2,814
263.17%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 HK$48.51
$3.84 ¥606
60.94%
Cappuccino
$5.08 HK$39.85
$2.34 ¥370
117.09%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.31
$1.19 ¥188
10.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 HK$8.56
$0.63 ¥98.8
73.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.47 HK$58.6
$2.00 ¥317
273.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 HK$51.0
$2.34 ¥369
177.78%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.89 HK$22.71
$1.51 ¥238
91.39%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 HK$18.14
$1.26 ¥199
83.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.71
$5.42 ¥856
-60.70%
Eggs
$3.52 HK$27.65
$1.99 ¥315
76.88%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.72 HK$194
$12.71 ¥2,008
94.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 HK$66.9
$9.73 ¥1,537
-12.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.00 HK$141
$32.13 ¥5,076
-43.98%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 HK$32.79
$3.78 ¥596
10.58%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 HK$21.07
$2.28 ¥361
17.54%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 HK$35.22
$6.23 ¥985
-27.93%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 HK$31.66
$4.19 ¥661
-3.82%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 HK$24.51
$3.86 ¥610
-19.17%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 HK$24.72
$3.53 ¥558
-10.76%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 HK$12.75
$1.28 ¥202
26.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.66
$1.01 ¥159
72.28%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.50 HK$106
$3.52 ¥557
283.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.54 HK$130
$8.02 ¥1,266
106.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 HK$15.19
$2.03 ¥321
-4.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.11
$1.45 ¥230
50.34%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 HK$11.04
$1.50 ¥236
-6.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 HK$696
$52.4 ¥8,283
69.04%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 HK$28.94
$3.17 ¥502
16.40%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 HK$10.36
$3.08 ¥486
-57.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.77 HK$124
$26.27 ¥4,151
-39.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.03 HK$31.65
$1.07 ¥169
276.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K HK$350.5K
$19.0K ¥3.0M
135.40%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K HK$296.6K
$16.3K ¥2.6M
131.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 HK$1,959
$147 ¥23.3K
69.34%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.60 HK$122
$24.31 ¥3,840
-35.83%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.77 HK$171
$43.93 ¥6,940
-50.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.2 HK$739
$51.9 ¥8,195
81.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 HK$72.9
$12.83 ¥2,028
-27.59%
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 HK$109
$8.17 ¥1,290
70.26%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,162 HK$9,122
$318 ¥50.3K
265.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K HK$171.6K
$6,203 ¥980.0K
252.56%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$534
$49.88 ¥7,880
36.31%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.91 HK$329
$24.95 ¥3,941
67.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 HK$626
$44.99 ¥7,108
77.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$66.1 ¥10.4K
84.09%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 HK$17.6K
$521 ¥82.4K
329.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$327 ¥51.7K
425.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,041 HK$39.6K
$1,113 ¥175.9K
352.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,435 HK$27.0K
$726 ¥114.7K
373.25%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.2K HK$229.0K
$4,165 ¥658.0K
600.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$1,745 ¥275.8K
906.64%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Tsu
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,271 HK$25.7K
$1,509 ¥238.4K
116.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.91
1.9
105.79%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Tsu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Tsu
$327 81% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$411
Tsu
$384 6.5% $27
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$287
Tsu
$216 24.9% $71
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$201
Tsu
$113 43.7% $88
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$140
Tsu
$84 40.3% $56
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$122
Tsu
$68 44.1% $54
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Tsu
$77 26.4% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $521 in Tsu. 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 117% 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 $18.00 in Tsu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $411 vs $384 – making Tsu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇯🇵 Tsu
🕒 Local time
12:26 12:26 PM
13:26 1:26 PM
1 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
279,241
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

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).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Tsu 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Tsu

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 Tsu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Tsu compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,269 in Tsu – roughly 135% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Tsu?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $1,903 in Tsu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Tsu?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Tsu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $18.00 in Tsu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hong Kong or Tsu?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,984 in Hong Kong and $1,269 in Tsu. That's a gap of about 135%.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tsu, where all-in costs run around $1,269, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Tsu it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hong Kong and Tsu?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,269 in Tsu to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hong Kong or Tsu safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Hong Kong and Tsu?
If budget matters most, go with Tsu. 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.

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