Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $293 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $33,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
Learn more

Varanasi Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$293

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $293 in Varanasi, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Varanasi $293

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $483 in Varanasi, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Varanasi $483

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $672 in Varanasi, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Varanasi $672

Hong Kong costs about 941% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Varanasi is 78% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$1.89 ₹178

342.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$8.02 ₹758

690.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$3.21 ₹304

103.43%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.33

$1.65 ₹156

212.12%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.41 ₹38.66

236.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.11 ₹10.08

927.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$1.62 ₹153

377.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.62

$2.12 ₹201

162.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.01

$0.66 ₹62.5

345.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.91

$0.29 ₹27.18

731.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$0.54 ₹50.6

311.11%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.73

$0.83 ₹78.4

310.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$3.28 ₹309

606.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$2.13 ₹201

307.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.02

$1.43 ₹135

194.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.65 ₹61.2

296.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.68

$0.89 ₹84.3

425.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.33

$0.35 ₹32.64

1042.86%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$0.26 ₹24.63

1126.92%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.24 ₹22.67

1262.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.29

$0.46 ₹43.19

241.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.44

$0.28 ₹26.52

510.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$3.20 ₹302

316.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$5.83 ₹551

166.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.87

$1.61 ₹152

25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$1.98 ₹187

15.15%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.24 ₹401

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.55 ₹52.3

123.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

$9.71 ₹918

801.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.46

$0.24 ₹22.65

1466.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.12 ₹10.95

983.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$1.04 ₹98.6

1431.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.05 ₹99.7

306.67%

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

$45.0K HK$352.7K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

299.27%

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

$37.6K HK$294.8K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

69.31%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$12.68 ₹1,198

1770.50%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$3.63 ₹343

325.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$6.84 ₹646

228.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$764

$12.72 ₹1,201

665.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$2.91 ₹274

346.05%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$38.77 ₹3,663

3258.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$1,088 ₹102.8K

2681.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$23.62 ₹2,232

187.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$25.11 ₹2,372

70.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$38.81 ₹3,666

109.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$25.32 ₹2,391

378.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$114 ₹10.8K

1992.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$46.99 ₹4,439

3717.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$200 ₹18.8K

2754.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$140 ₹13.2K

2606.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

$560 ₹52.9K

5052.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

$340 ₹32.1K

5452.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

$575 ₹54.3K

455.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.53

-54.40%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Varanasi

$47 16% 97.4% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Varanasi

$82 28% 79.9% $325

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Varanasi

$23 7.9% 91.6% $252

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Varanasi

$59 20.1% 71.7% $149

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Varanasi

$51 17.3% 64% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Varanasi

$19 6.3% 85% $105

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Varanasi

$13 4.4% 87.6% $90

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $114 in Varanasi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hong Kong are about 5.6 times higher, 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 in Hong Kong versus $8 in Varanasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $82 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

05:12 5:12 AM

02:42 2:42 AM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.128 USD). 1 EUR = 8.76 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.47 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Varanasi 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $293 in Varanasi – Varanasi comes out roughly 90% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,576 per month in Hong Kong and $440 in Varanasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $114 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $8 in Varanasi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,050 in Hong Kong and $293 in Varanasi. That makes Varanasi about 90% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $293, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Varanasi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Varanasi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Varanasi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.