Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seongnam and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Seongnam: $1,405 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Seongnam
🇰🇷 South Korea
$1,405
/mo nomad
Hong Kong
🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)
$2,984
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,405 per month in Seongnam vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Seongnam $1,405
  • Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $2,330 per month in Seongnam vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Seongnam $2,330
  • Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $3,255 per month in Seongnam vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

  • Seongnam $3,255
  • Hong Kong $6,183

Seongnam is about 53% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Seongnam and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Seongnam by 4%, Hong Kong by 121%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.61 ₩8,817
$7.75 HK$60.8
-14.71%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$40.26 ₩53.7K
$64.7 HK$508
-37.76%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.67 ₩8,901
$6.18 HK$48.51
7.93%
Cappuccino
$4.16 ₩5,547
$5.08 HK$39.85
-18.11%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.59 ₩2,127
$1.31 HK$10.31
21.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 ₩1,097
$1.09 HK$8.56
-24.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.56 ₩4,744
$7.47 HK$58.6
-52.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.81 ₩5,083
$6.50 HK$51.0
-41.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.26 ₩3,016
$2.89 HK$22.71
-21.80%
White Bread (500g)
$3.08 ₩4,112
$2.31 HK$18.14
33.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.59 ₩4,795
$2.13 HK$16.71
68.54%
Eggs
$3.61 ₩4,820
$3.52 HK$27.65
2.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.24 ₩12.3K
$24.72 HK$194
-62.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$7.73 ₩10.3K
$8.52 HK$66.9
-9.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$21.02 ₩28.0K
$18.00 HK$141
16.78%
Apples (1kg)
$7.75 ₩10.3K
$4.18 HK$32.79
85.41%
Banana (1kg)
$3.42 ₩4,568
$2.68 HK$21.07
27.61%
Oranges (1kg)
$5.87 ₩7,835
$4.49 HK$35.22
30.73%
Tomato (1kg)
$6.99 ₩9,321
$4.03 HK$31.66
73.45%
Potato (1kg)
$3.60 ₩4,810
$3.12 HK$24.51
15.38%
Onion (1kg)
$2.52 ₩3,366
$3.15 HK$24.72
-20.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.80 ₩3,737
$1.62 HK$12.75
72.84%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 ₩1,773
$1.74 HK$13.66
-23.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.45 ₩4,599
$13.50 HK$106
-74.44%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.42 ₩24.6K
$16.54 HK$130
11.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.09 ₩2,786
$1.94 HK$15.19
7.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.82 ₩2,430
$2.18 HK$17.11
-16.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.03 ₩1,373
$1.41 HK$11.04
-26.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$88.6 HK$696
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.64 ₩4,858
$3.69 HK$28.94
-1.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 ₩879
$1.32 HK$10.36
-50.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.86 ₩11.8K
$15.77 HK$124
-43.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.36 ₩1,817
$4.03 HK$31.65
-66.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.3K ₩39.1M
$44.7K HK$350.5K
-34.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K ₩37.9M
$37.8K HK$296.6K
-24.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$207 ₩276.8K
$250 HK$1,959
-16.87%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$36.39 ₩48.5K
$15.60 HK$122
133.27%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.67 ₩27.6K
$21.77 HK$171
-5.05%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.6 ₩68.8K
$94.2 HK$739
-45.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$12.09 ₩16.1K
$9.29 HK$72.9
30.14%
Cinema Ticket
$10.99 ₩14.7K
$13.91 HK$109
-20.99%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$532 ₩709.4K
$1,162 HK$9,122
-54.26%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.7K ₩23.6M
$21.9K HK$171.6K
-19.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.6 ₩76.9K
$68.0 HK$534
-15.25%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.21 ₩43.0K
$41.91 HK$329
-23.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.7 ₩92.9K
$79.7 HK$626
-12.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.8 ₩109.2K
$122 HK$956
-32.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$478 ₩637.6K
$2,241 HK$17.6K
-78.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$366 ₩488.6K
$1,718 HK$13.5K
-78.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,168 ₩1.6M
$5,041 HK$39.6K
-76.83%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,035 ₩1.4M
$3,435 HK$27.0K
-69.87%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,163 ₩9.6M
$29.2K HK$229.0K
-75.45%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$5,429 ₩7.2M
$17.6K HK$137.9K
-69.10%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Seongnam
Hong Kong
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$3,271 HK$25.7K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.08
3.91
4.35%

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

Last update for Seongnam: October 11, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Seongnam
$423
Hong Kong
$411 3% $13
Accommodation & Living
Seongnam
$366
Hong Kong
$1.7K 369% $1.4K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Seongnam
$265
Hong Kong
$287 8.5% $22
Eating Out
Seongnam
$158
Hong Kong
$201 27.6% $44
Clothing & Footwear
Seongnam
$109
Hong Kong
$140 29% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Seongnam
$74
Hong Kong
$122 65.8% $48
Getting Around
Seongnam
$11 *
Hong Kong
$105 846% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Seongnam 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Seongnam versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $423 in Seongnam vs $411 in Hong Kong – so Hong Kong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇷 Seongnam
🇭🇰 Hong Kong
🕒 Local time
05:17 5:17 AM
04:17 4:17 AM
1 h behind Seongnam
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
967,510
1,367,900 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,334 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.5 USD). 1 EUR = 1,500 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.67 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Seongnam Hong Kong 2,090 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Seongnam
  • 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
Seongnam vs Hong Kong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Seongnam and in Hong Kong compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,405 in Seongnam, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 112% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Seongnam compared to Hong Kong?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,108 per month in Seongnam 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 Seongnam and Hong Kong?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Seongnam, 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 $40.00 in Seongnam 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 has cheaper grocery shopping?
Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Hong Kong – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Seongnam, where all-in costs run around $1,405, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Seongnam 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 Seongnam and Hong Kong?
It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,405 in Seongnam to $2,984 in Hong Kong. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Seongnam 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 Seongnam and Hong Kong?
If budget matters most, go with Seongnam. 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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