Cost of living comparison
compared to
Merced vs. Hong Kong Cost of Living Summary
Merced is 30.6% more expensive than Hong Kong.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1 times more in Merced
- Groceries
-
pay 8.8% more in Merced
- Transportation
-
pay 15.9% less in Merced
- Housing
-
pay 42.0% more in Merced
- Childcare
-
pay 79.3% more in Merced
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.4% less in Merced
- Clothing
-
pay 7.6% less in Merced
The cost of restaurants, childcare, housing, and groceries in Merced are more expensive than in Hong Kong. Expenses including transportation, clothing, and entertainment and sports are lower in Merced. Notably, restaurants and childcare are significantly more expensive in Merced.
Merced vs. Hong Kong Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Merced instead of Hong Kong, you would:
pay 2.1 times more for restaurants
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
HK$61.52
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.43
HK$50.01
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.39
HK$10.81
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.11
HK$8.66
|
$2.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.8% more for groceries
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.19
HK$17.05
|
$2.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.44
HK$96.81
|
$5.51
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.75
HK$91.42
|
$4.53
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
HK$27.36
|
$5.40
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.85
HK$37.74
|
$6.98
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.57
HK$12.18
|
$2.63
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.09
HK$8.46
|
$1.18
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
HK$12.62
|
$0.68
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
HK$10.78
|
$2.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
HK$8.56
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
HK$8.24
|
$1.50
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of groceries
pay 15.9% less for transportation
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$11.90
HK$92.58
|
$4.67
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.49
HK$525.15
|
$60.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,564.70
HK$300,085.46
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.53
HK$113.03
|
$16.42
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of transportation
pay 42.0% more for housing
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.19
HK$172.67
|
$70.13
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,349.29
HK$18,280.63
|
$1,622.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,688.04
HK$13,135.21
|
$1,081.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$177.52
HK$1,381.38
|
$210.52
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of housing
pay 79.3% more for childcare
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,038.61
HK$8,081.78
|
$1,866.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,248.89
HK$173,126.37
|
$39,800.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of childcare
pay 1.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.48
HK$50.45
|
$9.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.23
HK$40.70
|
$5.83
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.11
HK$102.03
|
$9.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$79.18
HK$616.09
|
$33.33
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.85
HK$100.03
|
$16.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.6% less for clothing
|
Hong Kong
|
Merced
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.06
HK$576.31
|
$56.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.18
HK$328.19
|
$46.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.97
HK$715.69
|
$88.89
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$142.80
HK$1,111.14
|
$125.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. Merced - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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