Cost of living comparison
compared to
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong Cost of Living Summary
San Mateo is 50.1% more expensive than Hong Kong.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.3 times more in San Mateo
- Groceries
-
pay 66.0% more in San Mateo
- Transportation
-
pay 22.5% less in San Mateo
- Housing
-
pay 69.9% more in San Mateo
- Childcare
-
pay 2.3 times more in San Mateo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.3% more in San Mateo
- Clothing
-
pay 26.8% less in San Mateo
The cost of childcare, restaurants, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports in San Mateo are more expensive than in Hong Kong. Expenses including clothing and transportation are lower in San Mateo. Notably, childcare and restaurants are significantly more expensive in San Mateo.
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong Cost Breakdown
If you lived in San Mateo instead of Hong Kong, you would:
pay 2.3 times more for restaurants
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
HK$61.55
|
$22.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.43
HK$50.04
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.39
HK$10.81
|
$3.12
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.11
HK$8.66
|
$2.34
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of restaurants
pay 66.0% more for groceries
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.19
HK$17.06
|
$5.11
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$12.44
HK$96.86
|
$7.44
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$11.75
HK$91.46
|
$6.00
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.52
HK$27.37
|
$8.00
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.85
HK$37.76
|
$9.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.57
HK$12.19
|
$3.00
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.09
HK$8.46
|
$0.90
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
HK$12.63
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
HK$10.79
|
$3.33
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.10
HK$8.56
|
$2.70
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
HK$8.25
|
$2.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of groceries
pay 22.5% less for transportation
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$11.90
HK$92.63
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.49
HK$525.40
|
$65.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,564.70
HK$300,226.22
|
$36,753.89
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.53
HK$113.09
|
?? | |
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of transportation
pay 69.9% more for housing
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$22.19
HK$172.75
|
$63.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,349.29
HK$18,289.20
|
$2,743.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,688.04
HK$13,141.37
|
$2,855.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$177.52
HK$1,382.03
|
$194.97
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of housing
pay 2.3 times more for childcare
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,038.61
HK$8,085.57
|
$2,823.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,248.89
HK$173,207.58
|
$42,750.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of childcare
pay 3.3% more for entertainment and sports
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.48
HK$50.47
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.23
HK$40.72
|
$5.20
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.11
HK$102.08
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$79.18
HK$616.38
|
$95.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.85
HK$100.08
|
$15.99
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.8% less for clothing
|
Hong Kong
|
San Mateo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$74.06
HK$576.58
|
$60.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.18
HK$328.34
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.97
HK$716.02
|
$101.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$142.80
HK$1,111.66
|
$60.00
|
|
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo - 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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