Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Vila and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hong Kong: $2,984 a month against $3,157 in Port Vila, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Port Vila despite lower rent and utilities.

153

Cost of Living Index in Port Vila
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Port Vila Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Port Vila

🇻🇺 Vanuatu

$3,157

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,157 per month in Port Vila vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Port Vila $3,157
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $4,290 per month in Port Vila vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Port Vila $4,290
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $5,424 per month in Port Vila vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Port Vila $5,424
Hong Kong $6,132

Port Vila costs about 6% more than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Port Vila and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Port Vila by 136%, Hong Kong by 123%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.64 VUV 1,480

$8.46 HK$66.4

49.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.9 VUV 6,540

$63.2 HK$496

-11.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.29 VUV 1,673

$6.20 HK$48.66

130.48%

Cappuccino

$4.06 VUV 475

$4.90 HK$38.41

-17.14%

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

$2.32 VUV 271

$1.27 HK$10.01

82.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 VUV 273

$1.06 HK$8.31

119.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.93 VUV 577

$7.68 HK$60.3

-35.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.24 VUV 847

$6.28 HK$49.24

15.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 VUV 335

$2.86 HK$22.45

White Bread (500g)

$1.90 VUV 223

$2.43 HK$19.10

-21.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 VUV 448

$2.18 HK$17.09

75.69%

Eggs

$6.06 VUV 710

$3.54 HK$27.80

71.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.62 VUV 2,063

$25.12 HK$197

-29.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.51 VUV 1,933

$8.89 HK$69.8

85.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.76 VUV 1,611

$17.63 HK$138

-21.95%

Apples (1kg)

$6.98 VUV 817

$4.11 HK$32.22

69.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 VUV 249

$2.72 HK$21.32

-22.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.82 VUV 447

$4.59 HK$36.05

-16.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$9.36 VUV 1,096

$4.02 HK$31.52

132.84%

Potato (1kg)

$8.96 VUV 1,049

$3.25 HK$25.50

175.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.50 VUV 410

$3.27 HK$25.70

7.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.60 VUV 304

$1.60 HK$12.54

62.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 VUV 135

$1.73 HK$13.56

-32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 VUV 1,073

$13.14 HK$103

-30.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 VUV 1,479

$16.59 HK$130

-23.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 VUV 292

$2.01 HK$15.80

24.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 VUV 319

$2.18 HK$17.13

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 VUV 145

$1.44 HK$11.31

-13.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.8 VUV 8,054

$89.1 HK$699

-22.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 VUV 291

$3.64 HK$28.53

-31.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 VUV 102

$1.31 HK$10.29

-33.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.22 VUV 611

$15.82 HK$124

-67.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 VUV 213

$4.06 HK$31.89

-55.17%

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

$23.6K VUV 2.8M

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-46.92%

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

$38.1K VUV 4.5M

$37.4K HK$293.2K

1.85%

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

$640 VUV 74.9K

$247 HK$1,942

158.47%

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

$22.97 VUV 2,689

$15.89 HK$125

44.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$359 VUV 42.0K

$21.46 HK$168

1573.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.7 VUV 7,931

$91.4 HK$717

-25.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 VUV 2,011

$9.08 HK$71.3

89.21%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

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

$625 VUV 73.2K

$1,155 HK$9,067

-45.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,995 VUV 819.0K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

-68.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.44 VUV 4,852

$68.9 HK$541

-39.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.4 VUV 7,894

$40.44 HK$317

66.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.5 VUV 10.0K

$79.9 HK$627

6.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 VUV 12.0K

$118 HK$923

-12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 VUV 185.1K

$2,180 HK$17.1K

-27.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,117 VUV 130.8K

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-34.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,398 VUV 397.9K

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-32.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,872 VUV 219.2K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-47.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,112 VUV 715.6K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-79.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,206 VUV 258.3K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-87.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$667 VUV 78.1K

$3,228 HK$25.3K

-79.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.18

3.91

58.06%

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

Last update for Port Vila: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Vila

$1.1K 35.5%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 53.7% $601

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Vila

$1K 32.5%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 72.1% $737

Groceries & Markets

Port Vila

$475 15.1%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 12.7% $60

Eating Out

Port Vila

$250 8%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 18% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Port Vila

$134 4.3%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 3.3% $4.5

Getting Around

Port Vila

$81 2.6%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 30.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Port Vila

$68 * 2.2%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 76.1% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Port Vila 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.

Salaries run about 384% higher in Hong Kong, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Port Vila versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $475 in Port Vila vs $415 in Hong Kong – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇺 Port Vila

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

15:46 3:46 PM

3 h behind Port Vila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

44,039 Capital

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Vanuatu Vatu VUV Vt

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD

1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to VUV – Vanuatu Vatu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇺 Vanuatu Vatu (Vt)

Vanuatu Vatu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 117 VUV (1,000 VUV = 8.54 USD). 1 EUR = 131 VUV (1,000 VUV = 7.62 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to VUV in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Port Vila Hong Kong 7,380 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Vila
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

Port Vila vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,157 in Port Vila, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,735 per month in Port Vila 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 Hong Kong, 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 $56.0 in Port Vila and $63.0 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 $3,157 in Port Vila and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 6%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,157 in Port Vila and $2,984 in Hong Kong. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,984 in Hong Kong to $3,157 in Port Vila. 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 Hong Kong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Port Vila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.