Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wakayama and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Wakayama: $1,276 a month against $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $20,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Wakayama
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Wakayama Living Index
145

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Wakayama

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,276

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$3,005

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,276 per month in Wakayama vs $3,005 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wakayama $1,276
Hong Kong $3,005

A couple spends around $2,031 per month in Wakayama vs $4,643 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wakayama $2,031
Hong Kong $4,643

A family of three spends $2,785 per month in Wakayama vs $6,281 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wakayama $2,785
Hong Kong $6,281

Wakayama is about 58% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Wakayama sits 6% below the global median, while Hong Kong is 122% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.47 ¥1,022

$7.80 HK$61.2

-17.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.22 ¥4,932

$64.7 HK$508

-51.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.89 ¥773

$6.24 HK$48.97

-21.63%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥389

$5.01 HK$39.34

-50.90%

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

$1.25 ¥197

$1.29 HK$10.12

-3.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 ¥136

$1.11 HK$8.74

-22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥506

$7.77 HK$61.0

-58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 ¥293

$6.41 HK$50.3

-71.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 ¥248

$2.90 HK$22.79

-45.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 ¥242

$2.33 HK$18.29

-34.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.27 ¥675

$2.23 HK$17.51

91.48%

Eggs

$2.11 ¥334

$3.45 HK$27.04

-38.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.04 ¥2,534

$24.96 HK$196

-35.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.05 ¥1,114

$8.79 HK$69.0

-19.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 ¥2,701

$17.71 HK$139

-3.44%

Apples (1kg)

$8.20 ¥1,296

$4.15 HK$32.59

97.59%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 ¥478

$2.63 HK$20.62

14.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.15 ¥814

$4.54 HK$35.65

13.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.94 ¥1,255

$4.09 HK$32.08

94.13%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ¥633

$3.22 HK$25.25

24.53%

Onion (1kg)

$4.59 ¥726

$3.26 HK$25.56

40.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ¥179

$1.65 HK$12.94

-30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥139

$1.74 HK$13.62

-49.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.99 ¥630

$13.45 HK$106

-70.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.33 ¥1,475

$15.16 HK$119

-38.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 ¥393

$1.97 HK$15.44

26.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥340

$2.22 HK$17.42

-3.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 ¥236

$1.28 HK$10.04

17.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.8 ¥8,496

$90.1 HK$707

-40.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 ¥485

$3.67 HK$28.84

-16.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.91 ¥460

$1.35 HK$10.60

115.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.69 ¥2,478

$16.21 HK$127

-3.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥167

$4.20 HK$32.94

-74.76%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$44.9K HK$352.2K

-51.02%

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

$15.0K ¥2.4M

$36.8K HK$288.9K

-59.15%

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

$117 ¥18.4K

$238 HK$1,865

-50.86%

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

$23.45 ¥3,705

$15.70 HK$123

49.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.45 ¥4,968

$21.91 HK$172

43.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.3 ¥8,109

$91.1 HK$715

-43.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.14 HK$71.8

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 ¥1,771

$12.96 HK$102

-13.50%

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

$564 ¥89.1K

$1,172 HK$9,201

-51.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥2.3M

$22.2K HK$174.2K

-33.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.37 ¥7,800

$67.9 HK$533

-27.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.42 ¥5,596

$43.57 HK$342

-18.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 ¥9,385

$83.1 HK$652

-28.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 ¥15.6K

$123 HK$963

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 ¥83.1K

$2,255 HK$17.7K

-76.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 ¥53.3K

$1,752 HK$13.7K

-80.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,093 ¥172.7K

$5,173 HK$40.6K

-78.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$738 ¥116.5K

$3,543 HK$27.8K

-79.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,206 ¥664.5K

$29.3K HK$229.7K

-85.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,756 ¥277.4K

$17.5K HK$137.1K

-89.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,965 ¥626.4K

$3,285 HK$25.8K

20.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.67

3.79

-55.94%

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

Last update for Wakayama: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Wakayama

$382 30%

Hong Kong

$410 13.7% 7.3% $28

Accommodation & Living

Wakayama

$337 26.4%

Hong Kong

$1.8K 58.3% 419% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wakayama

$172 13.5%

Hong Kong

$275 9.2% 60.3% $104

Eating Out

Wakayama

$124 9.7%

Hong Kong

$203 6.7% 63.1% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Wakayama

$109 8.6%

Hong Kong

$143 4.8% 30.6% $33

Getting Around

Wakayama

$77 6.1%

Hong Kong

$106 3.5% 36.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Wakayama

$74 5.8%

Hong Kong

$117 3.9% 58.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Wakayama versus $2,255 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 21% higher in Wakayama, 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 $31.00 in Wakayama versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $382 vs $410 – making Wakayama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Wakayama

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

07:31 7:31 AM

1 h behind Wakayama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

362,163

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HKD, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to JPY in detail →

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Wakayama Hong Kong 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,276 in Wakayama, $3,005 in Hong Kong – roughly 136% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,914 per month in Wakayama and $4,508 in Hong Kong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wakayama, 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 $31.00 in Wakayama and $65.0 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 $1,276 in Wakayama and $3,005 in Hong Kong. That's a gap of about 136%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Wakayama, where all-in costs run around $1,276, than in Hong Kong at $3,005. In Wakayama it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hong Kong it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hong Kong has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,276 in Wakayama to $3,005 in Hong Kong. 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 Wakayama. 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.