Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Wonju

For one person, living is cheaper in Wonju: $1,526 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Wonju
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,526
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,984 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,526 in Wonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $2,984
  • Wonju $1,526

A couple spends around $4,584 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,418 in Wonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $4,584
  • Wonju $2,418

A family of three spends $6,183 per month in Hong Kong vs $3,309 in Wonju, rent included.

  • Hong Kong $6,183
  • Wonju $3,309

Hong Kong costs about 95% more than Wonju, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hong Kong and Wonju sit above the global median – Hong Kong by 121%, Wonju by 13%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$7.75 HK$60.8
$7.45 ₩9,900
4.03%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$64.7 HK$508
$48.19 ₩64.1K
34.22%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.18 HK$48.51
$6.69 ₩8,892
-7.62%
Cappuccino
$5.08 HK$39.85
$3.65 ₩4,859
39.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 HK$10.31
$1.79 ₩2,381
-26.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 HK$8.56
$1.45 ₩1,923
-24.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.47 HK$58.6
$3.70 ₩4,926
101.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$6.50 HK$51.0
$4.32 ₩5,740
50.46%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.89 HK$22.71
$2.25 ₩2,998
28.44%
White Bread (500g)
$2.31 HK$18.14
$3.20 ₩4,252
-27.81%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.13 HK$16.71
$3.08 ₩4,095
-30.84%
Eggs
$3.52 HK$27.65
$2.69 ₩3,579
30.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$24.72 HK$194
$10.93 ₩14.5K
126.17%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.52 HK$66.9
$10.41 ₩13.8K
-18.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.00 HK$141
$24.90 ₩33.1K
-27.71%
Apples (1kg)
$4.18 HK$32.79
$11.04 ₩14.7K
-62.14%
Banana (1kg)
$2.68 HK$21.07
$3.54 ₩4,712
-24.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.49 HK$35.22
$7.98 ₩10.6K
-43.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.03 HK$31.66
$6.04 ₩8,034
-33.28%
Potato (1kg)
$3.12 HK$24.51
$5.80 ₩7,718
-46.21%
Onion (1kg)
$3.15 HK$24.72
$3.40 ₩4,527
-7.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.62 HK$12.75
$2.86 ₩3,807
-43.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.74 HK$13.66
$1.29 ₩1,711
34.88%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.50 HK$106
$3.42 ₩4,550
294.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.54 HK$130
$18.38 ₩24.4K
-10.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 HK$15.19
$2.35 ₩3,131
-17.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 HK$17.11
$3.39 ₩4,513
-35.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.41 HK$11.04
$1.10 ₩1,467
28.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$88.6 HK$696
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 HK$28.94
$3.63 ₩4,825
1.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.32 HK$10.36
$0.71 ₩950
85.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.77 HK$124
$16.85 ₩22.4K
-6.41%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$4.03 HK$31.65
$1.25 ₩1,656
222.40%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$44.7K HK$350.5K
$29.4K ₩39.1M
51.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.8K HK$296.6K
$33.6K ₩44.7M
12.37%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$250 HK$1,959
$196 ₩260.7K
27.30%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$15.60 HK$122
$35.94 ₩47.8K
-56.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.77 HK$171
$26.92 ₩35.8K
-19.13%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$94.2 HK$739
$52.6 ₩69.9K
79.03%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 HK$72.9
$12.15 ₩16.2K
-23.54%
Cinema Ticket
$13.91 HK$109
$11.79 ₩15.7K
17.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,162 HK$9,122
$491 ₩652.3K
136.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.9K HK$171.6K
$21.9K ₩29.1M
-0.08%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.0 HK$534
$104 ₩138.1K
-34.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.91 HK$329
$64.1 ₩85.2K
-34.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.7 HK$626
$92.1 ₩122.5K
-13.43%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$122 HK$956
$129 ₩171.3K
-5.47%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,241 HK$17.6K
$494 ₩657.0K
353.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,718 HK$13.5K
$359 ₩477.3K
378.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,041 HK$39.6K
$1,181 ₩1.6M
326.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,435 HK$27.0K
$744 ₩988.6K
361.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$29.2K HK$229.0K
$7,157 ₩9.5M
307.68%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$17.6K HK$137.9K
$5,494 ₩7.3M
219.83%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hong Kong
Wonju
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,271 HK$25.7K
-
-
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 Wonju: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hong Kong
$1.7K
Wonju
$359 79.1% $1.4K
Groceries & Markets
Hong Kong
$411
Wonju
$482 17.4% $71
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hong Kong
$287
Wonju
$259 9.8% $28
Eating Out
Hong Kong
$201
Wonju
$164 18.8% $38
Clothing & Footwear
Hong Kong
$140
Wonju
$175 24.9% $35
Sport & Entertainment
Hong Kong
$122
Wonju
$76 37.6% $46
Getting Around
Hong Kong
$105
Wonju
$12 * 88.9% $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 $494 in Wonju. 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 $65.0 in Hong Kong versus $48.00 in Wonju. Groceries tell a different story – $411 in Hong Kong vs $482 in Wonju – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🇰🇷 Wonju
🕒 Local time
11:26 11:26 AM
12:26 12:26 PM
1 h ahead of Hong Kong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,367,900 Capital
340,196
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hong Kong Wonju 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hong Kong
  • Wonju

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 Wonju: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hong Kong and in Wonju compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong, $1,526 in Wonju – roughly 95% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Hong Kong compared to Wonju?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,476 per month in Hong Kong and $2,290 in Wonju. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hong Kong and Wonju?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Wonju, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $65.0 in Hong Kong and $48.00 in Wonju. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Hong Kong – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Wonju, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Wonju it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hong Kong and Wonju?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,526 in Wonju to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hong Kong or Wonju safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Hong Kong and Wonju?
If budget matters most, go with Wonju. 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.

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