Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matara and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $581 a month against $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $29,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
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Matara Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$581

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,050

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $581 per month in Matara vs $3,050 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Matara $581
Hong Kong $3,050

A couple spends around $850 per month in Matara vs $4,786 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Matara $850
Hong Kong $4,786

A family of three spends $1,118 per month in Matara vs $6,522 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Matara $1,118
Hong Kong $6,522

Matara is about 81% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Matara sits 57% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 126% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.86 LKR 1,283

$8.37 HK$65.6

-53.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.60 LKR 8,179

$63.4 HK$497

-61.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 LKR 2,517

$6.53 HK$51.2

15.93%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 813

$5.15 HK$40.36

-52.62%

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

$0.68 LKR 225

$1.38 HK$10.81

-50.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.0

$1.13 HK$8.87

-77.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 751

$7.73 HK$60.7

-70.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 991

$5.56 HK$43.65

-46.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$2.94 HK$23.03

-46.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$2.41 HK$18.92

-76.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 260

$2.22 HK$17.43

-64.86%

Eggs

$1.45 LKR 484

$3.41 HK$26.75

-57.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.08 LKR 5,013

$23.18 HK$182

-34.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 LKR 1,668

$8.67 HK$68.0

-42.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.69 LKR 2,558

$17.90 HK$140

-57.04%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 LKR 2,218

$4.21 HK$33.04

58.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.46 LKR 153

$2.58 HK$20.21

-82.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.17 LKR 1,385

$4.68 HK$36.71

-10.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 279

$4.00 HK$31.35

-79.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 LKR 322

$3.19 HK$25.00

-69.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.62 LKR 208

$3.27 HK$25.62

-81.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 LKR 419

$1.57 HK$12.30

-19.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 153

$1.71 HK$13.45

-73.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.27 LKR 3,415

$13.33 HK$105

-22.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.79 LKR 4,585

$15.56 HK$122

-11.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 LKR 589

$2.02 HK$15.88

-12.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 LKR 943

$2.28 HK$17.85

24.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 LKR 95.2

$1.23 HK$9.68

-76.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.6 HK$687

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 135

$3.76 HK$29.49

-89.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 102

$1.30 HK$10.20

-76.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 310

$15.93 HK$125

-94.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$4.27 HK$33.51

-67.68%

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

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

$45.0K HK$353.0K

-3.54%

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

$45.7K LKR 15.2M

$37.6K HK$295.0K

21.65%

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

$44.63 LKR 14.8K

$237 HK$1,861

-81.18%

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

$4.15 LKR 1,381

$15.46 HK$121

-73.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.43 LKR 6,794

$22.46 HK$176

-9.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$97.4 HK$764

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.02 HK$70.7

Cinema Ticket

$4.46 LKR 1,482

$12.98 HK$102

-65.64%

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

$40.78 LKR 13.6K

$1,302 HK$10.2K

-96.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

$30.3K HK$237.4K

-42.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.76 LKR 5,907

$68.0 HK$533

-73.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.33 LKR 5,764

$42.80 HK$336

-59.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

$81.3 HK$638

-4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.81 LKR 13.9K

$121 HK$950

-65.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 LKR 60.5K

$2,385 HK$18.7K

-92.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$88.6 LKR 29.4K

$1,794 HK$14.1K

-95.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,695 HK$44.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,786 HK$29.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$28.8K HK$226.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$18.9K HK$148.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$105 LKR 35.0K

$3,194 HK$25.1K

-96.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

3.89

221.34%

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

Last update for Matara: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Matara

$238 40.9%

Hong Kong

$407 13.3% 71% $169

Eating Out

Matara

$104 17.9%

Hong Kong

$208 6.8% 100% $104

Accommodation & Living

Matara

$89 15.3%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.8% 1925% $1.7K

Clothing & Footwear

Matara

$69 12%

Hong Kong

$141 4.6% 103% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matara

$69 11.9%

Hong Kong

$275 9% 298% $206

Sport & Entertainment

Matara

$8.9 * 1.5%

Hong Kong

$123 4% 1285% $114

Getting Around

Matara

$3.1 * 0.5%

Hong Kong

$103 3.4% 3226% $100

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $182 in Matara 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 30 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Matara versus $63 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $407 – making Matara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Matara

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

05:11 5:11 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Matara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

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 = 0.127 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.81 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Matara Hong Kong 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Matara
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $581 in Matara, $3,050 in Hong Kong – Matara comes out roughly 81% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $871 per month in Matara 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 Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $182 there versus $2,385 in Hong Kong.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Matara 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 71% more in Hong Kong, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matara, where all-in costs run around $581, than in Hong Kong at $3,050. In Matara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Matara. 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.