Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Hong Kong Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 32.7% more expensive than Hong Kong.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.2 times more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 19.3% more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 17.1% less in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 70.9% more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 18.6% more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 13.5% more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 0.3% more in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Hong Kong Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Hong Kong, you would:
pay 2.2 times more for restaurants
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $7.91 HK$62.00 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $6.43 HK$50.41 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.39 HK$10.89 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $1.11 HK$8.72 | $2.00 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 19.3% more for groceries
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $2.19 HK$17.18 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $12.44 HK$97.57 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $11.75 HK$92.14 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $3.52 HK$27.57 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $4.85 HK$38.04 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.57 HK$12.28 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.09 HK$8.52 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.62 HK$12.72 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $1.39 HK$10.87 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.10 HK$8.62 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.06 HK$8.31 | $1.22 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 17.1% less for transportation
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $11.90 HK$93.31 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $67.49 HK$529.28 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $38,564.70 HK$302K | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.53 HK$113.92 | $18.01 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 70.9% more for housing
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $22.19 HK$174.03 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,349.29 HK$18,424.40 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,688.04 HK$13,238.52 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $177.52 HK$1,392.25 | $155.53 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 18.6% more for childcare
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,038.61 HK$8,145.34 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $22,248.89 HK$174K | $15,000.00 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 13.5% more for entertainment and sports
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $6.48 HK$50.85 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.23 HK$41.02 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $13.11 HK$102.83 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $79.18 HK$620.93 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $12.85 HK$100.82 | $18.00 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.3% more for clothing
Hong Kong | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $74.06 HK$580.84 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $42.18 HK$330.77 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $91.97 HK$721.32 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $142.80 HK$1,119.88 | $149.85 | |
Hong Kong vs. Santa Monica - 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: June 2026
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