Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pohang and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Pohang: $1,362 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pohang
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Pohang Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Pohang

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,362

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,362 per month in Pohang vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pohang $1,362
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $1,682 per month in Pohang vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pohang $1,682
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $2,002 per month in Pohang vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Pohang $2,002
Hong Kong $6,183

Pohang is about 54% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Pohang and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Pohang by 1%, Hong Kong by 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.91 ₩7,857

$7.75 HK$60.8

-23.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.55 ₩30.0K

$64.7 HK$508

-65.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 ₩8,675

$6.18 HK$48.51

5.50%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ₩4,012

$5.08 HK$39.85

-40.55%

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

$1.48 ₩1,967

$1.31 HK$10.31

12.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₩710

$1.09 HK$8.56

-51.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,836

$7.47 HK$58.6

-51.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.81 ₩5,062

$6.50 HK$51.0

-41.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.36 ₩3,142

$2.89 HK$22.71

-18.34%

White Bread (500g)

$3.25 ₩4,319

$2.31 HK$18.14

40.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 ₩1,940

$2.13 HK$16.71

-31.46%

Eggs

$2.73 ₩3,634

$3.52 HK$27.65

-22.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 ₩14.6K

$24.72 HK$194

-55.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.36 ₩13.8K

$8.52 HK$66.9

21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.86 ₩33.1K

$18.00 HK$141

38.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₩2,929

$4.18 HK$32.79

-47.37%

Banana (1kg)

$3.61 ₩4,798

$2.68 HK$21.07

34.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$4.49 HK$35.22

76.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 ₩3,879

$4.03 HK$31.66

-27.54%

Potato (1kg)

$5.00 ₩6,653

$3.12 HK$24.51

60.26%

Onion (1kg)

$3.41 ₩4,532

$3.15 HK$24.72

8.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.27 ₩3,015

$1.62 HK$12.75

40.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₩1,785

$1.74 HK$13.66

-22.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ₩4,407

$13.50 HK$106

-75.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 ₩8,631

$16.54 HK$130

-60.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₩2,031

$1.94 HK$15.19

-21.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 ₩4,638

$2.18 HK$17.11

60.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.41 HK$11.04

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 ₩4,388

$3.69 HK$28.94

-10.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 ₩766

$1.32 HK$10.36

-56.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 ₩22.1K

$15.77 HK$124

5.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₩1,647

$4.03 HK$31.65

-69.23%

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

$29.5K ₩39.2M

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-34.00%

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

$28.4K ₩37.8M

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-24.85%

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

$102 ₩136.1K

$250 HK$1,959

-58.99%

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

$36.26 ₩48.2K

$15.60 HK$122

132.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.84 ₩35.7K

$21.77 HK$171

23.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.38 ₩40.4K

$94.2 HK$739

-67.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 ₩9,884

$9.29 HK$72.9

-20.02%

Cinema Ticket

$11.38 ₩15.1K

$13.91 HK$109

-18.19%

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

$637 ₩847.5K

$1,162 HK$9,122

-45.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.8K ₩29.0M

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-0.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₩139.2K

$68.0 HK$534

54.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.3 ₩85.5K

$41.91 HK$329

53.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.5 ₩122.9K

$79.7 HK$626

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 ₩147.9K

$122 HK$956

-8.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 HK$17.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₩594.3K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-73.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,041 HK$39.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,435 HK$27.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.2K HK$229.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,990 ₩4.0M

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-82.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,240 ₩3.0M

$3,271 HK$25.7K

-31.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

3.91

7.93%

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

Last update for Pohang: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pohang

$447 32.8%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 284% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Pohang

$386 28.3%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 6.5% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Pohang

$168 12.3%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 16.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pohang

$165 12.2%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 73.5% $122

Eating Out

Pohang

$137 10.1%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 47.1% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Pohang

$53 3.9%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 130% $69

Getting Around

Pohang

$6.2 * 0.5%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 1592% $98

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 46% 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 $23.00 in Pohang versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $386 vs $411 – making Pohang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Pohang

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

20:47 8:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h behind Pohang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

514,869

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to KRW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pohang Hong Kong 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pohang
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,362 in Pohang, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 119% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,043 per month in Pohang and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Pohang and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Pohang, where all-in costs run around $1,362, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Pohang 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 $1,362 in Pohang 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 Pohang. 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.