Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Ulsan

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulsan: $1,339 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Ulsan
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Ulsan Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Ulsan

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,339

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,339 in Ulsan, rent included.

Hong Kong $2,984
Ulsan $1,339

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,185 in Ulsan, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,584
Ulsan $2,185

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,030 in Ulsan, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,183
Ulsan $3,030

Hong Kong costs about 123% more than Ulsan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Hong Kong sits 121% above the global median, while Ulsan is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.75 HK$60.8

$7.62 ₩10.1K

1.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$44.63 ₩59.3K

44.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.18 HK$48.51

$5.93 ₩7,882

4.22%

Cappuccino

$5.08 HK$39.85

$3.32 ₩4,410

53.01%

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

$1.31 HK$10.31

$0.88 ₩1,175

48.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 HK$8.56

$0.47 ₩619

131.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.47 HK$58.6

$3.01 ₩4,006

148.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.50 HK$51.0

$4.38 ₩5,826

48.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.89 HK$22.71

$2.36 ₩3,139

22.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.31 HK$18.14

$3.25 ₩4,315

-28.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.13 HK$16.71

$3.16 ₩4,207

-32.59%

Eggs

$3.52 HK$27.65

$2.73 ₩3,634

28.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.72 HK$194

$10.88 ₩14.5K

127.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.52 HK$66.9

$10.63 ₩14.1K

-19.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.00 HK$141

$24.54 ₩32.6K

-26.65%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 HK$32.79

$11.39 ₩15.1K

-63.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 HK$21.07

$3.74 ₩4,975

-28.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.49 HK$35.22

$8.09 ₩10.8K

-44.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 HK$31.66

$6.05 ₩8,048

-33.39%

Potato (1kg)

$3.12 HK$24.51

$6.01 ₩7,992

-48.09%

Onion (1kg)

$3.15 HK$24.72

$3.26 ₩4,328

-3.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.62 HK$12.75

$2.89 ₩3,844

-43.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.66

$1.28 ₩1,707

35.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.50 HK$106

$3.12 ₩4,154

332.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.54 HK$130

$18.52 ₩24.6K

-10.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 HK$15.19

$2.45 ₩3,264

-20.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.11

$3.44 ₩4,577

-36.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

$1.14 ₩1,511

23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 HK$28.94

$2.89 ₩3,849

27.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 HK$10.36

$0.78 ₩1,040

69.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

$16.96 ₩22.6K

-7.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.03 HK$31.65

$1.43 ₩1,899

181.82%

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

$44.7K HK$350.5K

$30.0K ₩39.9M

48.79%

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

$37.8K HK$296.6K

$34.1K ₩45.4M

10.70%

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

$250 HK$1,959

$197 ₩261.8K

26.77%

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

$15.60 HK$122

$37.06 ₩49.3K

-57.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.77 HK$171

$27.21 ₩36.2K

-19.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.2 HK$739

$60.4 ₩80.3K

55.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.29 HK$72.9

Cinema Ticket

$13.91 HK$109

$10.30 ₩13.7K

35.05%

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

$1,162 HK$9,122

$263 ₩349.3K

342.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.9K HK$171.6K

$22.0K ₩29.3M

-0.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$534

$51.5 ₩68.5K

31.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.91 HK$329

$45.56 ₩60.6K

-8.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 HK$626

$61.0 ₩81.2K

30.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 HK$956

$75.0 ₩99.7K

62.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

$373 ₩495.3K

501.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$244 ₩324.7K

603.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

$761 ₩1.0M

562.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

$648 ₩861.8K

429.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

$4,483 ₩6.0M

550.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$2,479 ₩3.3M

608.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,271 HK$25.7K

$2,331 ₩3.1M

40.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

4.22

-7.35%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ulsan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6%

Ulsan

$244 18.2% 85.8% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$411 13.8%

Ulsan

$489 36.5% 19% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$287 9.6%

Ulsan

$261 19.5% 9% $26

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$201 6.8%

Ulsan

$148 11% 26.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$140 4.7%

Ulsan

$105 7.8% 25.1% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$122 4.1%

Ulsan

$81 6.1% 33.6% $41

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Ulsan

$11 * 0.9% 89.1% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,241 in Hong Kong versus $373 in Ulsan. 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 40% 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 $45.00 in Ulsan. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Hong Kong vs $489 in Ulsan – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇰🇷 Ulsan

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

1,129,827

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Ulsan 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Ulsan

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 Ulsan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,339 in Ulsan – roughly 123% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,009 in Ulsan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulsan, 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 $45.00 in Ulsan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Hong Kong – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulsan, where all-in costs run around $1,339, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Ulsan 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 $1,339 in Ulsan 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 Ulsan. 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.