Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $28,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Medan vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Medan $613
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $940 per month in Medan vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Medan $940
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Medan vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Medan $1,266
Hong Kong $6,183

Medan is about 79% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medan sits 55% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 121% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

$7.75 HK$60.8

-77.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 149.4K

$64.7 HK$508

-87.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 53.0K

$6.18 HK$48.51

-52.27%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

$5.08 HK$39.85

-69.88%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,215

$1.31 HK$10.31

-73.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,534

$1.09 HK$8.56

-77.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.9K

$7.47 HK$58.6

-77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$6.50 HK$51.0

-44.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

$2.89 HK$22.71

-61.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.2K

$2.31 HK$18.14

-48.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

$2.13 HK$16.71

-61.97%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

$3.52 HK$27.65

-62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 146.2K

$24.72 HK$194

-67.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.6K

$8.52 HK$66.9

-57.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.5K

$18.00 HK$141

-64.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.1K

$4.18 HK$32.79

-42.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.9K

$2.68 HK$21.07

-60.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.5K

$4.49 HK$35.22

-68.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$4.03 HK$31.66

-76.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$3.12 HK$24.51

-73.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.3K

$3.15 HK$24.72

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,905

$1.62 HK$12.75

-76.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,872

$1.74 HK$13.66

-74.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.7K

$13.50 HK$106

-78.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.9K

$16.54 HK$130

-4.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

$1.94 HK$15.19

-5.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.1K

$2.18 HK$17.11

38.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,816

$1.41 HK$11.04

-80.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.7K

$88.6 HK$696

-93.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,186

$3.69 HK$28.94

-86.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,465

$1.32 HK$10.36

-85.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.77 HK$124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$4.03 HK$31.65

-80.15%

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

$24.7K Rp 444.1M

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-44.76%

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

$32.2K Rp 579.9M

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-14.75%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$250 HK$1,959

-66.01%

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

$3.17 Rp 57.0K

$15.60 HK$122

-79.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 424.3K

$21.77 HK$171

8.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 305.0K

$94.2 HK$739

-82.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.5K

$9.29 HK$72.9

-9.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.3K

$13.91 HK$109

-76.35%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$1,162 HK$9,122

-90.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.5M

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-92.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 975.9K

$68.0 HK$534

-20.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 693.6K

$41.91 HK$329

-8.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$79.7 HK$626

35.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$122 HK$956

-8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-89.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-94.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-90.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-93.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-96.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.1M

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-96.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$3,271 HK$25.7K

-93.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

3.91

136.57%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 127% $230

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 0.1% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 157% $175

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 1815% $1.6K

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 243% $143

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 418% $98

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 1134% $96

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Medan versus $2,241 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 run about 1420% higher in Hong Kong, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8.00 in Medan versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $411 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

07:28 7:28 AM

1 h ahead of Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medan Hong Kong 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $613 in Medan, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 387% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $920 per month in Medan 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 Medan, 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 $8.00 in Medan and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $613 in Medan and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 387%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medan, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Medan 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 $613 in Medan 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 Medan. 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.