Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Yala

For one person, living is cheaper in Yala: $895 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Yala
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Yala Living Index

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Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Yala

🇹🇭 Thailand

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $3,005 per month in Hong Kong vs $895 in Yala, rent included.

Hong Kong $3,005
Yala $895

A couple spends around $4,643 per month in Hong Kong vs $1,487 in Yala, rent included.

Hong Kong $4,643
Yala $1,487

A family of three spends $6,281 per month in Hong Kong vs $2,079 in Yala, rent included.

Hong Kong $6,281
Yala $2,079

Hong Kong costs about 236% more than Yala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hong Kong sits 122% above the global median, while Yala is 34% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.80 HK$61.2

$1.51 ฿50.3

416.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.7 HK$508

$24.70 ฿825

162.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.24 HK$48.97

$6.73 ฿225

-7.28%

Cappuccino

$5.01 HK$39.34

$1.92 ฿64.0

160.94%

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

$1.29 HK$10.12

$0.56 ฿18.76

130.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 HK$8.74

$0.16 ฿5.42

593.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 HK$61.0

$1.90 ฿63.4

308.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.41 HK$50.3

$3.30 ฿110

94.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.90 HK$22.79

$1.54 ฿51.3

88.31%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 HK$18.29

$1.22 ฿40.90

90.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 HK$17.51

$1.33 ฿44.51

67.67%

Eggs

$3.45 HK$27.04

$1.79 ฿59.7

92.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$24.96 HK$196

$18.29 ฿611

36.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 HK$69.0

$2.96 ฿98.8

196.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 HK$139

$9.26 ฿309

91.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.15 HK$32.59

$3.02 ฿101

37.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.63 HK$20.62

$1.14 ฿37.97

130.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 HK$35.65

$2.09 ฿69.7

117.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.09 HK$32.08

$1.95 ฿65.3

109.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.22 HK$25.25

$1.57 ฿52.3

105.10%

Onion (1kg)

$3.26 HK$25.56

$0.97 ฿32.44

236.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.65 HK$12.94

$1.17 ฿39.17

41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 HK$13.62

$0.53 ฿17.62

228.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.45 HK$106

$4.87 ฿163

176.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.16 HK$119

$16.33 ฿546

-7.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 HK$15.44

$1.64 ฿54.8

20.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 HK$17.42

$2.58 ฿86.2

-13.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.28 HK$10.04

$0.61 ฿20.44

109.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 HK$707

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 HK$28.84

$1.12 ฿37.42

227.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 HK$10.60

$1.31 ฿43.70

3.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.21 HK$127

$6.43 ฿215

152.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.20 HK$32.94

$1.42 ฿47.43

195.77%

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

$44.9K HK$352.2K

$26.5K ฿887.0K

69.08%

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

$36.8K HK$288.9K

$26.5K ฿887.1K

38.69%

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

$238 HK$1,865

$85.4 ฿2,853

178.31%

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

$15.70 HK$123

$11.99 ฿401

30.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.91 HK$172

$19.46 ฿650

12.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 HK$715

$44.07 ฿1,473

106.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

$13.69 ฿458

-33.24%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 HK$102

$6.63 ฿222

95.48%

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

$1,172 HK$9,201

$589 ฿19.7K

99.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.2K HK$174.2K

$11.3K ฿376.2K

97.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.9 HK$533

$45.88 ฿1,533

48.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.57 HK$342

$32.27 ฿1,079

35.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 HK$652

$77.6 ฿2,592

7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 HK$963

$80.9 ฿2,704

51.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,255 HK$17.7K

$475 ฿15.9K

375.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,752 HK$13.7K

$289 ฿9,662

505.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,173 HK$40.6K

$1,169 ฿39.1K

342.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$759 ฿25.4K

366.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.3K HK$229.7K

$1,762 ฿58.9K

1561.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.5K HK$137.1K

$1,405 ฿46.9K

1143.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,285 HK$25.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

5.57

-31.96%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Last update for Yala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3%

Yala

$289 32.3% 83.5% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$410 13.7%

Yala

$241 26.9% 41.2% $169

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$275 9.2%

Yala

$117 13.1% 57.6% $158

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$203 6.7%

Yala

$74 8.3% 63.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$143 4.8%

Yala

$106 11.9% 25.4% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$117 3.9%

Yala

$57 6.4% 51% $60

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$106 3.5%

Yala

$10 * 1.1% 90.4% $96

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,255 in Hong Kong versus $475 in Yala. 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 $25.00 in Yala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $410 vs $241 – making Yala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇹🇭 Yala

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

22:18 10:18 PM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

60,617

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hong Kong Yala 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Yala

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 Yala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,005 in Hong Kong, $895 in Yala – roughly 236% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,508 per month in Hong Kong and $1,343 in Yala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yala, 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 $25.00 in Yala. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Hong Kong, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Yala, where all-in costs run around $895, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Yala 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 $895 in Yala 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 Yala. 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.