Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Koh Tao: $1,038 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $23,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Koh Tao 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 Koh Tao and in Hong Kong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Koh Tao vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Tao $1,038
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Koh Tao vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Tao $1,702
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $2,367 per month in Koh Tao vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Koh Tao $2,367
Hong Kong $6,132

Koh Tao is about 65% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Koh Tao sits 23% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 123% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$8.46 HK$66.4

-55.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$63.2 HK$496

-56.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$6.20 HK$48.66

20.00%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ฿76.7

$4.90 HK$38.41

-53.27%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$1.27 HK$10.01

-41.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$1.06 HK$8.31

-60.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

$7.68 HK$60.3

-72.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

$6.28 HK$49.24

-49.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.86 HK$22.45

-45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$2.43 HK$19.10

-46.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$2.18 HK$17.09

-34.40%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$3.54 HK$27.80

-41.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$25.12 HK$197

-26.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$8.89 HK$69.8

-65.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$17.63 HK$138

-41.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$4.11 HK$32.22

-34.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$2.72 HK$21.32

-43.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$4.59 HK$36.05

-52.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$4.02 HK$31.52

-51.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$3.25 HK$25.50

-56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$3.27 HK$25.70

-61.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$1.60 HK$12.54

-33.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.73 HK$13.56

-70.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 ฿136

$13.14 HK$103

-69.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

$16.59 HK$130

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

$2.01 HK$15.80

-16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

$2.18 HK$17.13

20.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$1.44 HK$11.31

36.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$3.64 HK$28.53

-28.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$1.31 HK$10.29

-30.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$15.82 HK$124

-78.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$4.06 HK$31.89

-68.23%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-46.35%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-34.94%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$247 HK$1,942

-60.95%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$15.89 HK$125

-29.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$21.46 HK$168

-21.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$91.4 HK$717

-40.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$9.08 HK$71.3

27.86%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$13.96 HK$110

-43.55%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$1,155 HK$9,067

-52.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-48.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$68.9 HK$541

-8.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$40.44 HK$317

-29.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$79.9 HK$627

20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$118 HK$923

-25.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-75.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-79.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-69.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-74.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-90.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-89.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.91

42.46%

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

Last update for Koh Tao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$354 34%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 385% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 64.7% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 129% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 11.4% $14

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 103% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 69.7% $49

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 598% $90

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $535 in Koh Tao versus $2,180 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Koh Tao versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $415 – making Koh Tao the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

1 h ahead of Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.79 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Koh Tao Hong Kong 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Tao
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

Koh Tao vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 188% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,557 per month in Koh Tao and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Koh Tao, 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 $27.00 in Koh Tao and $63.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Koh Tao, where all-in costs run around $1,038, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Koh Tao 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 $1,038 in Koh Tao to $2,984 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 Koh Tao. 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.