Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick: $1,934 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Saint John, New Brunswick
🇨🇦 Canada
$1,934
/mo nomad
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,934 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $1,934
  • Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,885 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $2,885
  • Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $3,836 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Saint John, New Brunswick $3,836
  • Hong Kong $6,183

Saint John, New Brunswick is about 35% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Saint John, New Brunswick and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Saint John, New Brunswick by 43%, Hong Kong by 121%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.31 CA$25.89
$7.75 HK$60.8
136.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$59.0 CA$83.5
$64.7 HK$508
-8.72%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.43 CA$14.75
$6.18 HK$48.51
68.77%
Cappuccino
$3.00 CA$4.25
$5.08 HK$39.85
-40.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 CA$2.39
$1.31 HK$10.31
29.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 CA$1.50
$1.09 HK$8.56
-2.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.43 CA$6.26
$7.47 HK$58.6
-40.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.01 CA$7.08
$6.50 HK$51.0
-22.92%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.17 CA$3.07
$2.89 HK$22.71
-24.91%
White Bread (500g)
$2.67 CA$3.77
$2.31 HK$18.14
15.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.12 CA$4.41
$2.13 HK$16.71
46.48%
Eggs
$3.45 CA$4.88
$3.52 HK$27.65
-1.99%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.17 CA$18.61
$24.72 HK$194
-46.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.72 CA$16.56
$8.52 HK$66.9
37.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.78 CA$18.06
$18.00 HK$141
-29.00%
Apples (1kg)
$4.79 CA$6.77
$4.18 HK$32.79
14.59%
Banana (1kg)
$1.47 CA$2.08
$2.68 HK$21.07
-45.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.18 CA$5.91
$4.49 HK$35.22
-6.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.90 CA$5.51
$4.03 HK$31.66
-3.23%
Potato (1kg)
$2.00 CA$2.83
$3.12 HK$24.51
-35.90%
Onion (1kg)
$2.20 CA$3.11
$3.15 HK$24.72
-30.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.47 CA$3.49
$1.62 HK$12.75
52.47%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.41 CA$1.99
$1.74 HK$13.66
-18.97%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.92 CA$19.67
$13.50 HK$106
3.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.90 CA$13.99
$16.54 HK$130
-40.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.79 CA$2.53
$1.94 HK$15.19
-7.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.12 CA$3.00
$2.18 HK$17.11
-2.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.06 CA$2.92
$1.41 HK$11.04
46.10%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$56.0 CA$79.2
$88.6 HK$696
-36.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 CA$4.13
$3.69 HK$28.94
-20.87%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.06 CA$1.50
$1.32 HK$10.36
-19.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$17.34 CA$24.52
$15.77 HK$124
9.96%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 CA$1.76
$4.03 HK$31.65
-68.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24.3K CA$34.4K
$44.7K HK$350.5K
-45.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$18.8K CA$26.6K
$37.8K HK$296.6K
-50.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$120 CA$169
$250 HK$1,959
-52.12%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.55 CA$58.7
$15.60 HK$122
166.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$64.7 CA$91.4
$21.77 HK$171
197.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$52.3 CA$73.9
$94.2 HK$739
-44.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$35.03 CA$49.52
$9.29 HK$72.9
277.07%
Cinema Ticket
$12.78 CA$18.07
$13.91 HK$109
-8.12%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$378 CA$534
$1,162 HK$9,122
-67.48%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.1K CA$15.7K
$21.9K HK$171.6K
-49.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.34 CA$68.3
$68.0 HK$534
-28.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.16 CA$49.71
$41.91 HK$329
-16.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$103 CA$145
$79.7 HK$626
28.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 CA$150
$122 HK$956
-13.03%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$990 CA$1,400
$2,241 HK$17.6K
-55.82%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$819 CA$1,158
$1,718 HK$13.5K
-52.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,610 CA$2,277
$5,041 HK$39.6K
-68.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,304 CA$1,843
$3,435 HK$27.0K
-62.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,018 CA$2,854
$29.2K HK$229.0K
-93.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,093 CA$2,959
$17.6K HK$137.9K
-88.09%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint John, New Brunswick
Hong Kong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,402 CA$3,396
$3,271 HK$25.7K
-26.56%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.69
3.91
19.95%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Saint John, New Brunswick
$819
Hong Kong
$1.7K 110% $899
Groceries & Markets
Saint John, New Brunswick
$350
Hong Kong
$411 17.3% $60
Eating Out
Saint John, New Brunswick
$257
Hong Kong
$201 21.6% $56
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint John, New Brunswick
$226
Hong Kong
$287 27.1% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Saint John, New Brunswick
$131
Hong Kong
$140 6.6% $8.7
Sport & Entertainment
Saint John, New Brunswick
$78
Hong Kong
$122 56.7% $44
Getting Around
Saint John, New Brunswick
$73
Hong Kong
$105 44.2% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $990 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 36% 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 $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $350 vs $411 – making Saint John, New Brunswick the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🕒 Local time
18:28 6:28 PM
05:28 5:28 AM
11 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
70,063
1,367,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Saint John, New Brunswick Hong Kong 12,500 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Saint John, New Brunswick
  • 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
Saint John, New Brunswick vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Saint John, New Brunswick and in Hong Kong compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 54% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.
What salary covers living expenses in Saint John, New Brunswick compared to Hong Kong?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,901 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick and $4,476 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Saint John, New Brunswick and Hong Kong?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Saint John, New Brunswick, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Saint John, New Brunswick or Hong Kong?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 54%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Saint John, New Brunswick, where all-in costs run around $1,934, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Saint John, New Brunswick it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Saint John, New Brunswick and Hong Kong?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,934 in Saint John, New Brunswick to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Saint John, New Brunswick or Hong Kong safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Saint John, New Brunswick and Hong Kong?
If budget matters most, go with Saint John, New Brunswick. 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.

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