Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $546 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $30,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$546

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $546 per month in Kandy vs $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Kandy $546
Hong Kong $3,050

A couple spends around $748 per month in Kandy vs $4,786 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Kandy $748
Hong Kong $4,786

A family of three spends $950 per month in Kandy vs $6,522 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Kandy $950
Hong Kong $6,522

Kandy is about 82% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kandy sits 60% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 126% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.69 LKR 894

$8.37 HK$65.6

-67.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.70 LKR 4,222

$63.4 HK$497

-79.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 LKR 2,148

$6.53 HK$51.2

-1.07%

Cappuccino

$2.52 LKR 839

$5.15 HK$40.33

-51.07%

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

$0.64 LKR 213

$1.38 HK$10.80

-53.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.3

$1.13 HK$8.86

-77.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 LKR 558

$7.73 HK$60.6

-78.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 LKR 567

$5.56 HK$43.62

-69.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 LKR 307

$2.94 HK$23.01

-68.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 188

$2.41 HK$18.91

-76.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 LKR 243

$2.22 HK$17.42

-67.12%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 546

$3.41 HK$26.73

-51.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.46 LKR 2,148

$23.18 HK$182

-72.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.73 LKR 1,241

$8.67 HK$68.0

-56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 LKR 2,038

$17.90 HK$140

-65.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 LKR 1,070

$4.21 HK$33.02

-23.52%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 289

$2.58 HK$20.19

-66.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 LKR 542

$4.68 HK$36.68

-65.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 424

$4.00 HK$31.33

-68.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 LKR 236

$3.19 HK$24.98

-77.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 LKR 209

$3.27 HK$25.60

-80.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.47 LKR 156

$1.57 HK$12.29

-70.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$1.71 HK$13.44

-73.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.45 LKR 2,478

$13.33 HK$105

-44.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.22 LKR 3,065

$15.56 HK$122

-40.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 588

$2.02 HK$15.87

-12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 LKR 564

$2.28 HK$17.83

-25.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 LKR 34.09

$1.23 HK$9.67

-91.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$686

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$3.76 HK$29.46

-89.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 LKR 110

$1.30 HK$10.19

-74.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 LKR 307

$15.93 HK$125

-94.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 381

$4.27 HK$33.48

-73.07%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$45.0K HK$352.7K

-2.23%

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

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

$37.6K HK$294.8K

20.90%

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

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

$237 HK$1,859

-75.82%

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

$3.82 LKR 1,272

$15.46 HK$121

-75.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.05 LKR 2,344

$22.46 HK$176

-68.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$7.37 LKR 2,452

$97.4 HK$764

-92.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$4.63 LKR 1,539

$12.98 HK$102

-64.33%

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

$40.92 LKR 13.6K

$1,302 HK$10.2K

-96.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

$30.3K HK$237.2K

-42.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.97 LKR 5,309

$68.0 HK$533

-76.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.21 LKR 5,724

$42.80 HK$335

-59.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

$81.3 HK$637

-4.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$36.41 LKR 12.1K

$121 HK$949

-69.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$244 LKR 81.0K

$2,385 HK$18.7K

-89.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 LKR 49.7K

$1,794 HK$14.1K

-91.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 LKR 80.5K

$5,695 HK$44.6K

-95.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$107 LKR 35.6K

$3,786 HK$29.7K

-97.17%

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)

$319 LKR 106.1K

$3,194 HK$25.0K

-90.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

208.48%

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

Last update for Kandy: October 31, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$156 28.6%

Hong Kong

$407 13.3% 160% $250

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$149 27.4%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8% 1100% $1.6K

Eating Out

Kandy

$87 15.9%

Hong Kong

$208 6.8% 141% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$68 12.5%

Hong Kong

$275 9% 303% $207

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$66 12.2%

Hong Kong

$141 4.6% 112% $75

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$17 3.1%

Hong Kong

$123 4% 642% $107

Getting Around

Kandy

$2.4 * 0.5%

Hong Kong

$103 3.4% 4112% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $244 in Kandy versus $2,385 in Hong Kong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Hong Kong are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy versus $63 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $156 vs $407 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

06:04 6:04 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1 HKD = 0.128 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

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).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kandy Hong Kong 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
Hong Kong

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

Kandy vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $546 in Kandy, $3,050 in Hong Kong – Kandy comes out roughly 82% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $819 per month in Kandy and $4,576 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $244 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy and $63 in Hong Kong. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 160% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kandy, where all-in costs run around $546, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Kandy 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 $546 in Kandy to $3,050 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kandy. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hong Kong makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.