Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Hong Kong (China)

For one person, living is cheaper in Italy: $1,825 a month against $3,015 in Hong Kong (China), rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

🇮🇹 Italy
$1,825
/mo nomad
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$3,015
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy and in Hong Kong (China)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Hong Kong (China) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,825 per month in Italy vs $3,015 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

  • Italy $1,825
  • Hong Kong (China) $3,015

A couple spends around $2,790 per month in Italy vs $4,640 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

  • Italy $2,790
  • Hong Kong (China) $4,640

A family of three spends $3,756 per month in Italy vs $6,265 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

  • Italy $3,756
  • Hong Kong (China) $6,265

The regional cost range is wider in Italy ($1,044–$2,560) than in Hong Kong (China) ($3,005–$3,005), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Italy is roughly 39% lower than in Hong Kong (China) on average.

Both Italy and Hong Kong (China) are pricier than the global median – Italy by 35%, Hong Kong (China) by 122%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$19.90 €17.70
$8.11 HK$63.6
145.38%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.1 €68.6
$64.4 HK$506
19.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.41 €10.15
$6.19 HK$48.57
84.33%
Cappuccino
$2.01 €1.78
$4.97 HK$38.97
-59.56%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 €2.78
$1.28 HK$10.01
144.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.24
$1.12 HK$8.77
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.76 €5.12
$7.53 HK$59.1
-23.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.73 €5.10
$6.36 HK$49.88
-9.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 €1.44
$2.99 HK$23.50
-45.82%
White Bread (500g)
$2.38 €2.12
$2.40 HK$18.82
-0.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.92 €2.60
$2.13 HK$16.75
37.09%
Eggs
$4.17 €3.70
$3.38 HK$26.52
23.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$17.28 €15.37
$25.36 HK$199
-31.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.73 €11.32
$8.62 HK$67.7
47.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.39 €18.13
$18.24 HK$143
11.79%
Apples (1kg)
$2.61 €2.32
$4.25 HK$33.36
-38.59%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$2.57 HK$20.18
-17.51%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.63 €2.34
$4.59 HK$36.00
-42.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.34 €2.97
$3.89 HK$30.53
-14.14%
Potato (1kg)
$2.02 €1.79
$3.21 HK$25.16
-37.07%
Onion (1kg)
$1.89 €1.69
$3.16 HK$24.77
-40.19%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.56 €1.39
$1.62 HK$12.73
-3.70%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 €0.49
$1.79 HK$14.05
-69.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.84 €6.08
$13.41 HK$105
-48.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.64 €6.80
$15.28 HK$120
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.80 €1.61
$2.05 HK$16.08
-12.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.40 €2.14
$2.21 HK$17.38
8.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.86 €1.65
$1.33 HK$10.41
39.85%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$43.27 €38.49
$88.3 HK$693
-50.97%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 €5.01
$3.59 HK$28.17
57.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.71 €1.52
$1.36 HK$10.68
25.74%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$33.04 €29.39
$16.23 HK$127
103.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.11 €1.87
$4.06 HK$31.85
-48.03%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.8K €31.8K
$45.4K HK$356.2K
-21.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.4K €33.3K
$37.7K HK$296.0K
-0.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$230 €204
$245 HK$1,926
-6.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 €10.32
$15.79 HK$124
-26.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.40 €27.04
$21.90 HK$172
38.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.9 €47.96
$91.1 HK$715
-40.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.24 €21.56
$9.34 HK$73.3
159.53%
Cinema Ticket
$10.58 €9.41
$12.72 HK$99.8
-16.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$545 €485
$1,156 HK$9,070
-52.82%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.5K €10.3K
$22.6K HK$177.7K
-49.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.4 €78.7
$67.7 HK$531
30.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.60 €35.22
$43.32 HK$340
-8.59%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$101 €89.8
$82.1 HK$644
23.02%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$133 €118
$122 HK$958
9.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$799 €711
$2,288 HK$18.0K
-65.08%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$624 €555
$1,753 HK$13.8K
-64.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,423 €1,266
$5,142 HK$40.4K
-72.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 €916
$3,518 HK$27.6K
-70.74%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,601 €3,203
$28.8K HK$225.7K
-87.48%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,270 €2,019
$17.6K HK$138.3K
-87.12%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Hong Kong (China)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,893 €1,684
$3,265 HK$25.6K
-42.03%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.56
3.79
-6.07%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong (China): October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Italy
$624
Hong Kong (China)
$1.8K 181% $1.1K
Groceries & Markets
Italy
$350
Hong Kong (China)
$413 18.2% $64
Eating Out
Italy
$276
Hong Kong (China)
$203 26.4% $73
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$272
Hong Kong (China)
$283 4.2% $11
Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163
Hong Kong (China)
$142 13% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$75
Hong Kong (China)
$116 55.2% $41
Getting Around
Italy
$65
Hong Kong (China)
$104 60.2% $39

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $724 in Italy vs $2,255 in Hong Kong (China). For reference, capital cities sit at $1,191 in Rome and $2,255 in Hong Kong.

Average salary: $1,892 in Italy vs $3,285 in Hong Kong (China). The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 211% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Dining out costs 12% more in Italy.

Public transport is 120% more expensive in Hong Kong (China).

Salaries are 74% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Good to know
🇮🇹 Italy
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
🕒 Local time
04:31 4:31 AM
10:31 10:31 AM
6 h ahead of Italy
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
58,850,717
7,413,070
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Italy Hong Kong (China) 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Italy
  • Hong Kong (China)

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
Italy vs Hong Kong (China): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which country is cheaper: Hong Kong (China) or Italy?
Italy is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 65% lower on average.
Is rent more expensive in Hong Kong (China) or in Italy?
Housing costs more in Hong Kong (China): a central one-bedroom averages $2,255 versus $724 in Italy.
Can you live in both Hong Kong (China) and Italy on $2,500 per month?
$2,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Italy, but in Hong Kong (China) it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Which country is better for expats: Hong Kong (China) or Italy?
Italy is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

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