Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sydney and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hong Kong: $2,984 a month against $3,182 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Sydney despite lower rent and utilities.

155

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,182

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,182 per month in Sydney vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Sydney $3,182
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $4,696 per month in Sydney vs $4,558 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Sydney $4,696
Hong Kong $4,558

A family of three spends $6,210 per month in Sydney vs $6,132 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Sydney $6,210
Hong Kong $6,132

Sydney costs about 7% more than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sydney and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Sydney by 137%, Hong Kong by 123%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.66 A$25.37

$8.46 HK$66.4

108.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.1 A$139

$63.2 HK$496

53.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.94 A$17.15

$6.20 HK$48.66

92.58%

Cappuccino

$4.00 A$5.75

$4.90 HK$38.42

-18.37%

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

$2.84 A$4.07

$1.27 HK$10.01

123.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 A$3.26

$1.06 HK$8.31

114.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 A$11.33

$7.68 HK$60.3

2.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.13 A$10.24

$6.28 HK$49.24

13.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 A$2.39

$2.86 HK$22.45

-41.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 A$4.01

$2.43 HK$19.10

14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$2.18 HK$17.09

6.42%

Eggs

$5.53 A$7.94

$3.54 HK$27.80

56.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 A$17.35

$25.12 HK$197

-51.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.84 A$14.14

$8.89 HK$69.8

10.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 A$23.87

$17.63 HK$138

-5.79%

Apples (1kg)

$4.02 A$5.78

$4.11 HK$32.23

-2.19%

Banana (1kg)

$3.15 A$4.53

$2.72 HK$21.32

15.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 A$5.03

$4.59 HK$36.05

-23.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.47 A$6.42

$4.02 HK$31.52

11.19%

Potato (1kg)

$3.32 A$4.77

$3.25 HK$25.50

2.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.30 A$3.31

$3.27 HK$25.70

-29.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.34 A$3.37

$1.60 HK$12.54

46.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 A$1.66

$1.73 HK$13.56

-33.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$45.02 A$64.7

$13.14 HK$103

242.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.96 A$20.05

$16.59 HK$130

-15.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.98 A$5.72

$2.01 HK$15.80

98.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.07 A$5.84

$2.18 HK$17.13

86.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.16 A$4.54

$1.44 HK$11.31

119.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$150 A$215

$89.1 HK$699

68.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.45 A$4.96

$3.64 HK$28.54

-5.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.34

$1.31 HK$10.29

24.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.98 A$57.4

$15.82 HK$124

152.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 A$2.01

$4.06 HK$31.89

-65.52%

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

$28.4K A$40.8K

$44.4K HK$348.2K

-35.94%

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

$29.4K A$42.2K

$37.4K HK$293.2K

-21.30%

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

$220 A$316

$247 HK$1,942

-11.14%

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

$27.70 A$39.79

$15.89 HK$125

74.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 A$79.8

$21.46 HK$168

158.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$74.3 A$107

$91.4 HK$717

-18.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.95 A$34.41

$9.08 HK$71.3

163.77%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 A$25.46

$13.96 HK$110

27.01%

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

$2,157 A$3,098

$1,155 HK$9,068

86.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.3K A$40.6K

$22.3K HK$174.6K

27.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.4 A$113

$68.9 HK$541

13.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$70.5 A$101

$40.44 HK$317

74.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 A$160

$79.9 HK$627

39.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 A$189

$118 HK$923

12.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,514 A$3,612

$2,180 HK$17.1K

15.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,732 A$2,487

$1,718 HK$13.5K

0.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,889 A$7,022

$5,047 HK$39.6K

-3.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,039 A$4,365

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-14.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.2K A$19.0K

$29.1K HK$228.7K

-54.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$8,117 A$11.7K

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-53.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,082 A$5,864

$3,228 HK$25.3K

26.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.84

3.91

49.36%

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

Last update for Sydney: 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

Sydney

$1.7K 54.5%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5% 0.8% $14

Groceries & Markets

Sydney

$380 12%

Hong Kong

$415 13.9% 9.1% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sydney

$303 9.6%

Hong Kong

$285 9.5% 6% $18

Eating Out

Sydney

$299 9.4%

Hong Kong

$205 6.9% 31.4% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Sydney

$176 5.6%

Hong Kong

$138 4.6% 21.7% $38

Getting Around

Sydney

$174 5.5%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 39.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sydney

$110 3.5%

Hong Kong

$119 4% 8.7% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,514 in Sydney 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 26% higher in Sydney, 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 $97.0 in Sydney versus $63.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Sydney vs $415 in Hong Kong – so Sydney wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Sydney

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

08:58 8:58 AM

3 h behind Sydney

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,840,600

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sydney Hong Kong 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sydney
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $3,182 in Sydney, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,774 per month in Sydney 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 $97.0 in Sydney 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 $3,182 in Sydney and $2,984 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 7%.

$3,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,182 in Sydney 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 $3,182 in Sydney. 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, Sydney makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.