Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wollongong and Hong Kong

For one person, living is cheaper in Wollongong: $2,251 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Wollongong
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Wollongong Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
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Hong Kong Living Index

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Wollongong

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,251

/mo nomad

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,251 per month in Wollongong vs $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wollongong $2,251
Hong Kong $2,984

A couple spends around $3,295 per month in Wollongong vs $4,584 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wollongong $3,295
Hong Kong $4,584

A family of three spends $4,339 per month in Wollongong vs $6,183 in Hong Kong, rent included.

Wollongong $4,339
Hong Kong $6,183

Wollongong is about 25% cheaper than Hong Kong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Wollongong and Hong Kong sit above the global median – Wollongong by 67%, Hong Kong by 121%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 A$24.06

$7.75 HK$60.8

115.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.9 A$121

$64.7 HK$508

29.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 A$14.78

$6.18 HK$48.51

66.18%

Cappuccino

$3.49 A$5.03

$5.08 HK$39.85

-31.30%

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

$3.16 A$4.54

$1.31 HK$10.31

141.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 A$3.12

$1.09 HK$8.56

99.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.09 A$10.20

$7.47 HK$58.6

-5.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.93 A$9.97

$6.50 HK$51.0

6.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 A$1.72

$2.89 HK$22.71

-58.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 A$4.20

$2.31 HK$18.14

26.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 A$3.04

$2.13 HK$16.71

-0.94%

Eggs

$3.93 A$5.65

$3.52 HK$27.65

11.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.40 A$14.96

$24.72 HK$194

-57.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.47 A$13.62

$8.52 HK$66.9

11.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.48 A$22.27

$18.00 HK$141

-14.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 A$4.17

$4.18 HK$32.79

-30.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.54 A$3.65

$2.68 HK$21.07

-5.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.30 A$4.74

$4.49 HK$35.22

-26.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.53 A$6.51

$4.03 HK$31.66

12.41%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$3.12 HK$24.51

-25.96%

Onion (1kg)

$2.58 A$3.71

$3.15 HK$24.72

-18.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.56 A$3.68

$1.62 HK$12.75

58.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.74 HK$13.66

-23.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$44.92 A$64.6

$13.50 HK$106

232.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.90 A$20.00

$16.54 HK$130

-15.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.38 A$6.31

$1.94 HK$15.19

125.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 A$6.72

$2.18 HK$17.11

114.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 A$2.84

$1.41 HK$11.04

39.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 HK$696

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.11 A$5.92

$3.69 HK$28.94

11.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 A$2.23

$1.32 HK$10.36

17.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.79 A$61.6

$15.77 HK$124

171.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 A$1.90

$4.03 HK$31.65

-67.25%

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

$26.6K A$38.2K

$44.7K HK$350.5K

-40.54%

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

$24.8K A$35.6K

$37.8K HK$296.6K

-34.44%

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

$185 A$267

$250 HK$1,959

-25.71%

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

$27.08 A$38.97

$15.60 HK$122

73.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.1 A$73.5

$21.77 HK$171

134.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.8 A$118

$94.2 HK$739

-13.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.07 A$20.24

$9.29 HK$72.9

51.45%

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 A$18.73

$13.91 HK$109

-6.40%

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

$2,148 A$3,091

$1,162 HK$9,122

84.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.5K A$29.5K

$21.9K HK$171.6K

-6.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 A$98.1

$68.0 HK$534

0.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.0 A$79.2

$41.91 HK$329

31.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 A$152

$79.7 HK$626

32.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 A$155

$122 HK$956

-11.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,246 A$1,793

$2,241 HK$17.6K

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 A$1,552

$1,718 HK$13.5K

-37.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,947 A$2,802

$5,041 HK$39.6K

-61.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 A$2,398

$3,435 HK$27.0K

-51.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 A$6,386

$29.2K HK$229.0K

-84.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,676 A$5,290

$17.6K HK$137.9K

-79.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,130 A$7,382

$3,271 HK$25.7K

56.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.23

3.91

33.76%

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

Last update for Wollongong: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hong Kong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wollongong

$1.1K 47.9%

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.6% 59.3% $640

Groceries & Markets

Wollongong

$353 15.7%

Hong Kong

$411 13.8% 16.3% $58

Eating Out

Wollongong

$277 12.3%

Hong Kong

$201 6.8% 27.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wollongong

$264 11.7%

Hong Kong

$287 9.6% 8.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Wollongong

$151 6.7%

Hong Kong

$140 4.7% 7.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Wollongong

$108 4.8%

Hong Kong

$122 4.1% 13.1% $14

Getting Around

Wollongong

$20 * 0.9%

Hong Kong

$105 3.5% 429% $85

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,246 in Wollongong 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 57% higher in Wollongong, 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 $84.0 in Wollongong versus $65.0 in Hong Kong. Groceries tell a different story – $353 in Wollongong vs $411 in Hong Kong – so Wollongong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Wollongong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🕒 Local time

03:10 3:10 AM

00:10 12:10 AM

3 h behind Wollongong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

280,153

1,367,900 Capital

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.113 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.82 HKD (1 HKD = 0.113 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wollongong Hong Kong 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Wollongong
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,251 in Wollongong, $2,984 in Hong Kong – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,377 per month in Wollongong 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 Wollongong, 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 $84.0 in Wollongong and $65.0 in Hong Kong. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Hong Kong, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Wollongong, where all-in costs run around $2,251, than in Hong Kong at $2,984. In Wollongong 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 $2,251 in Wollongong to $2,984 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 Wollongong. 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.