Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $29,700 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
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Wattala Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,050 per month in Hong Kong vs $574 in Wattala, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,050
Wattala $574

A couple spends around $4,786 per month in Hong Kong vs $951 in Wattala, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,786
Wattala $951

A family of three spends $6,522 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,328 in Wattala, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,522
Wattala $1,328

Hong Kong costs about 431% more than Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 126% above the global median, while Wattala is 58% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.37 HK$65.6

$3.83 LKR 1,274

118.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 HK$497

$24.35 LKR 8,096

160.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 HK$51.2

$7.64 LKR 2,539

-14.53%

Cappuccino

$5.15 HK$40.32

$2.48 LKR 824

107.66%

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

$1.38 HK$10.80

$0.68 LKR 227

102.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 HK$8.86

$0.27 LKR 89.9

318.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.73 HK$60.6

$2.14 LKR 711

261.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 HK$43.61

$3.04 LKR 1,011

82.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 HK$23.00

$1.59 LKR 528

84.91%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 HK$18.90

$0.54 LKR 178

346.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 HK$17.41

$0.77 LKR 256

188.31%

Eggs

$3.41 HK$26.72

$1.64 LKR 545

107.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.18 HK$182

$14.00 LKR 4,654

65.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.67 HK$68.0

$4.75 LKR 1,581

82.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.90 HK$140

$7.34 LKR 2,440

143.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.21 HK$33.01

$6.41 LKR 2,132

-34.32%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 HK$20.19

$0.80 LKR 265

222.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 HK$36.67

$4.37 LKR 1,452

7.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.00 HK$31.32

$1.27 LKR 422

214.96%

Potato (1kg)

$3.19 HK$24.98

$1.05 LKR 348

203.81%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.60

$0.77 LKR 256

324.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 HK$12.28

$0.95 LKR 315

65.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 HK$13.43

$0.43 LKR 143

297.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 HK$105

$10.26 LKR 3,410

29.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.56 HK$122

$12.73 LKR 4,235

22.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 HK$15.86

$1.89 LKR 630

6.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 HK$17.83

$2.90 LKR 965

-21.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.23 HK$9.67

$0.20 LKR 66.4

515.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 HK$29.45

$0.41 LKR 136

817.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 HK$10.19

$0.34 LKR 113

282.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.93 HK$125

$0.89 LKR 295

1689.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.27 HK$33.48

$1.13 LKR 376

277.88%

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

$45.0K HK$352.6K

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

4.07%

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

$37.6K HK$294.7K

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-6.99%

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

$237 HK$1,859

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

302.41%

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

$15.46 HK$121

$4.18 LKR 1,391

269.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.46 HK$176

$20.89 LKR 6,947

7.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$763

$13.62 LKR 4,528

615.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

$4.57 LKR 1,519

97.37%

Cinema Ticket

$12.98 HK$102

$2.93 LKR 974

343.00%

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

$1,302 HK$10.2K

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

3347.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K HK$237.2K

$1,202 LKR 399.6K

2418.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 HK$533

$18.04 LKR 5,998

276.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.80 HK$335

$16.50 LKR 5,488

159.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.3 HK$637

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

5.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 HK$949

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

187.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,385 HK$18.7K

$104 LKR 34.6K

2190.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,794 HK$14.1K

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

2836.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.6K

$241 LKR 80.2K

2261.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

$178 LKR 59.1K

2030.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$147.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,194 HK$25.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

12.69

-69.35%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 96.6% $1.7K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$407 13.3%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 42.5% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 69.5% $191

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$208 6.8%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 50.1% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$141 4.6%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 50.8% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$123 4%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 84.2% $104

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$103 3.4%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 97.2% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,385 in Hong Kong versus $104 in Wattala. 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 $24 in Wattala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $407 vs $234 – making Wattala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

22:30 10:30 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

2 h 30 min behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

30,200

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Wattala 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,050 in Hong Kong, $574 in Wattala – Wattala comes out roughly 81% 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 $861 in Wattala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $104 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Hong Kong and $24 in Wattala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Wattala, where all-in costs run around $574, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Wattala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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