Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Varkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Varkala: $383 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $32,000 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Varkala
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Varkala Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Varkala

🇮🇳 India

$383

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $383 in Varkala, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Varkala $383

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $608 in Varkala, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Varkala $608

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $833 in Varkala, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Varkala $833

Hong Kong costs about 697% more than Varkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Varkala is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$2.28 ₹216

267.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$10.35 ₹978

512.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$3.45 ₹326

89.28%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.33

$1.57 ₹149

228.03%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.37 ₹35.19

272.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.18 ₹16.55

527.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$1.76 ₹166

339.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.62

$3.13 ₹295

77.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.01

$0.71 ₹67.4

314.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.91

$0.45 ₹42.46

435.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$0.66 ₹62.2

236.36%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.73

$0.89 ₹84.2

283.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$4.87 ₹460

375.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$2.99 ₹282

189.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.02

$2.05 ₹194

105.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.74 ₹70.1

248.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.68

$0.98 ₹92.6

377.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.33

$0.54 ₹50.8

640.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$0.38 ₹35.97

739.47%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.43 ₹40.23

660.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.29

$0.45 ₹42.20

248.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.44

$0.32 ₹30.08

434.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$3.89 ₹367

242.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$7.48 ₹706

108.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.87

$1.69 ₹160

19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.76 ₹261

-17.39%

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

$5.59 ₹528

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.28 ₹26.35

339.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

$8.77 ₹829

898.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.46

$0.83 ₹78.4

353.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.25 ₹23.36

420.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$1.43 ₹135

1013.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.16 ₹110

268.10%

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

$45.0K HK$352.7K

$13.8K ₹1.3M

226.04%

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

$37.6K HK$294.8K

$22.2K ₹2.1M

69.04%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$38.26 ₹3,614

519.92%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$3.52 ₹332

339.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$7.13 ₹673

215.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$764

$15.61 ₹1,475

524.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

$7.10 ₹671

27.04%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$2.85 ₹269

355.44%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$51.9 ₹4,905

2407.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$1,542 ₹145.7K

1862.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$24.46 ₹2,311

177.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$24.88 ₹2,351

72.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$41.84 ₹3,953

94.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$30.94 ₹2,922

291.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$123 ₹11.6K

1836.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$75.4 ₹7,127

2277.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$274 ₹25.8K

1981.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$179 ₹16.9K

2015.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

$1,051 ₹99.3K

2642.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

$599 ₹56.6K

3048.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.67

-55.13%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Varkala: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Varkala

$75 19.7% 95.8% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Varkala

$105 27.5% 74.1% $301

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Varkala

$49 12.8% 82.2% $226

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Varkala

$65 16.9% 68.9% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Varkala

$55 14.4% 61% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Varkala

$21 5.6% 82.7% $102

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Varkala

$12 3.1% 88.4% $91

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $123 in Varkala. 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 $63 in Hong Kong versus $10 in Varkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $105 – making Varkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇮🇳 Varkala

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

13:46 1:46 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

50,000

💱 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 = 9.43 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 = 8.8 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 = 9.43 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Hong Kong Varkala 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Varkala

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 Varkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $383 in Varkala – Varkala comes out roughly 87% 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 $574 in Varkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $10 in Varkala. 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 $383 in Varkala. That makes Varkala about 87% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Varkala, where all-in costs run around $383, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Varkala 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 $383 in Varkala to $3,050 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Varkala is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 87% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.