Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Wakayama

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,276 in Wakayama, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Wakayama $1,276

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,031 in Wakayama, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Wakayama $2,031

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,785 in Wakayama, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Wakayama $2,785

Hong Kong costs about 136% more than Wakayama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Wakayama is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$6.47 ¥1,022

20.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$31.22 ¥4,932

107.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$4.89 ¥773

27.61%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$2.46 ¥389

103.66%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$1.25 ¥197

3.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.86 ¥136

29.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$3.20 ¥506

142.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$1.85 ¥293

246.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.57 ¥248

84.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.53 ¥242

52.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$4.27 ¥675

-47.78%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$2.11 ¥334

63.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$16.04 ¥2,534

55.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$7.05 ¥1,114

24.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$17.10 ¥2,701

3.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$8.20 ¥1,296

-49.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$3.02 ¥478

-12.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$5.15 ¥814

-11.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$7.94 ¥1,255

-48.49%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$4.01 ¥633

-19.70%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$4.59 ¥726

-28.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.14 ¥179

44.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.88 ¥139

97.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$3.99 ¥630

237.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$9.33 ¥1,475

62.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$2.49 ¥393

-20.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.15 ¥340

3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$1.50 ¥236

-14.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

$53.8 ¥8,496

67.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$3.07 ¥485

19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$2.91 ¥460

-53.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$15.69 ¥2,478

3.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.06 ¥167

296.23%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$22.0K ¥3.5M

104.17%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$15.0K ¥2.4M

144.77%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$117 ¥18.4K

103.52%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$23.45 ¥3,705

-33.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$31.45 ¥4,968

-30.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$51.3 ¥8,109

77.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$11.21 ¥1,771

15.61%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$564 ¥89.1K

107.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$14.8K ¥2.3M

49.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$49.37 ¥7,800

37.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$35.42 ¥5,596

23.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$59.4 ¥9,385

39.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$98.7 ¥15.6K

24.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$526 ¥83.1K

328.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$337 ¥53.3K

419.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$1,093 ¥172.7K

373.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$738 ¥116.5K

380.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$4,206 ¥664.5K

595.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,756 ¥277.4K

895.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

$3,965 ¥626.4K

-17.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

1.67

126.95%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Wakayama

$337 26.4% 80.7% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Wakayama

$382 30% 6.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Wakayama

$172 13.5% 37.6% $104

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Wakayama

$124 9.7% 38.7% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Wakayama

$109 8.6% 23.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Wakayama

$74 5.8% 37% $43

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Wakayama

$77 6.1% 26.7% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $526 in Wakayama. 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 21% higher in Wakayama, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $31.00 in Wakayama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $382 – making Wakayama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🕒 Local time

05:15 5:15 AM

06:15 6:15 AM

1 h ahead of Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

362,163

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

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Hong Kong Wakayama 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Wakayama

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 Wakayama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $1,276 in Wakayama – roughly 136% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $1,914 in Wakayama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakayama, 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 $31.00 in Wakayama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,005 in Hong Kong and $1,276 in Wakayama. That's a gap of about 136%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakayama, where all-in costs run around $1,276, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Wakayama 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 $1,276 in Wakayama to $3,005 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 Wakayama. 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.