Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong (China)

Name: Hong Kong (China)
Address: HK

For one person, living is cheaper in the United Kingdom: $2,462 a month against $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hong Kong (China) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
147

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong (China)
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Hong Kong (China) Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong (China)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in the United Kingdom and in Hong Kong (China) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom vs $3,046 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

United Kingdom $2,462
Hong Kong (China) $3,046

A couple spends around $3,600 per month in the United Kingdom vs $4,715 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

United Kingdom $3,600
Hong Kong (China) $4,715

A family of three spends $4,738 per month in the United Kingdom vs $6,384 in Hong Kong (China), rent included.

United Kingdom $4,738
Hong Kong (China) $6,384

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Hong Kong (China) ($3,028–$3,028), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in the United Kingdom is roughly 19% lower than in Hong Kong (China) on average.

Both the United Kingdom and Hong Kong (China) are pricier than the global median – the United Kingdom by 81%, Hong Kong (China) by 124%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.15

$8.47 HK$66.5

153.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.4

$64.7 HK$508

32.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.98

$6.25 HK$49.02

69.76%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.69

$5.17 HK$40.58

-5.03%

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

$2.66 £2.00

$1.31 HK$10.28

103.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.13 HK$8.88

65.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.98

$7.44 HK$58.4

-10.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.14

$6.54 HK$51.3

4.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$2.90 HK$22.76

-42.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$2.35 HK$18.47

-26.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.63

$2.25 HK$17.68

-3.56%

Eggs

$4.00 £3.01

$3.45 HK$27.10

15.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.08

$24.79 HK$194

-62.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.90

$8.85 HK$69.4

3.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.10

$18.08 HK$142

-18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.23

$4.05 HK$31.77

-26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.22

$2.62 HK$20.55

-38.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.15

$4.71 HK$36.93

-39.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.65

$3.95 HK$30.95

-10.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.38

$3.21 HK$25.15

-42.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.21

$3.22 HK$25.24

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.94

$1.66 HK$13.00

-24.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.25

$1.77 HK$13.92

-6.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.77

$13.43 HK$105

76.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.89

$15.22 HK$119

-31.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.24

$1.98 HK$15.50

50.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.64

$2.29 HK$17.95

53.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.99

$1.34 HK$10.50

197.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.7

$89.5 HK$702

20.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.89

$3.73 HK$29.22

38.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.76

$1.36 HK$10.66

72.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.17

$16.00 HK$126

67.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$3.98 HK$31.21

-50.00%

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

$39.4K £29.6K

$44.5K HK$348.9K

-11.30%

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

$40.5K £30.4K

$37.6K HK$295.3K

7.53%

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

$327 £246

$239 HK$1,878

36.67%

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

$18.21 £13.69

$15.99 HK$125

13.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.77

$21.59 HK$169

101.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.83

$98.3 HK$771

-56.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.69

$9.38 HK$73.6

94.24%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.41

$12.59 HK$98.8

10.01%

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

$1,868 £1,404

$1,280 HK$10.0K

45.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £17.0K

$22.6K HK$177.3K

0.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.8

$67.8 HK$531

37.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.51

$43.21 HK$339

6.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.4

$82.9 HK$650

22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.8

$124 HK$973

-17.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,009

$2,373 HK$18.6K

-43.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £807

$1,777 HK$13.9K

-39.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,677

$5,399 HK$42.4K

-58.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,309

$3,614 HK$28.4K

-51.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,210

$29.5K HK$231.1K

-80.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,205

$17.9K HK$140.2K

-76.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,517

$3,297 HK$25.9K

1.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.79

40.37%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong (China): October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Hong Kong (China)

$1.8K 58.3% 65.5% $704

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Hong Kong (China)

$277 9.1% 28.8% $112

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Hong Kong (China)

$209 6.9% 36.3% $119

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Hong Kong (China)

$412 13.5% 34% $104

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Hong Kong (China)

$143 4.7% 7.2% $11

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Hong Kong (China)

$105 3.5% 24.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Hong Kong (China)

$124 4.1% 76.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,287 in the United Kingdom vs $2,432 in Hong Kong (China). For reference, capital cities sit at $2,811 in London and $2,432 in Hong Kong.

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $3,264 in Hong Kong (China). The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 89% higher in Hong Kong (China).

Dining out costs 32% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 15% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

🕒 Local time

03:26 3:26 AM

11:26 11:26 AM

8 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

7,413,070

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.752 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 7.84 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.74 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

United Kingdom Hong Kong (China) 9,630 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

United Kingdom
Hong Kong (China)

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

United Kingdom vs Hong Kong (China): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

The United Kingdom is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 19% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Hong Kong (China): a central one-bedroom averages $2,432 versus $1,287 in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.