Cost of living comparison
compared to
Hong Kong vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Hong Kong is 19.5% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.4% less in Hong Kong
- Groceries
-
pay 22.3% less in Hong Kong
- Transportation
-
pay 26.2% more in Hong Kong
- Housing
-
pay 36.3% less in Hong Kong
- Childcare
-
pay 44.2% less in Hong Kong
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 14.9% less in Hong Kong
- Clothing
-
pay 10.1% more in Hong Kong
The cost of transportation and clothing in Hong Kong are more expensive than in San Jose. Expenses including restaurants, childcare, housing, groceries, and entertainment and sports are lower in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 55.4% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.50
|
$7.91
HK$61.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$6.43
HK$50.04
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.42
|
$1.39
HK$10.81
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.44
|
$1.11
HK$8.66
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of restaurants
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pay 22.3% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.00
|
$2.19
HK$17.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$11.39
|
$12.44
HK$96.85
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.64
|
$11.75
HK$91.46
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.40
|
$3.52
HK$27.37
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.98
|
$4.85
HK$37.76
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.95
|
$1.57
HK$12.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$1.09
HK$8.46
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$1.62
HK$12.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.01
|
$1.39
HK$10.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$1.10
HK$8.56
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.06
HK$8.25
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of groceries
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pay 26.2% more for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$11.90
HK$92.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$90.00
|
$67.49
HK$525.39
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$38,564.70
HK$300,222.36
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.41
|
$14.53
HK$113.08
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of transportation
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pay 36.3% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.13
|
$22.19
HK$172.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,916.67
|
$2,349.29
HK$18,288.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,700.00
|
$1,688.04
HK$13,141.20
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$221.60
|
$177.52
HK$1,382.01
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of housing
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pay 44.2% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,866.67
|
$1,038.61
HK$8,085.47
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$39,800.00
|
$22,248.89
HK$173,205.35
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of childcare
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pay 14.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$9.00
|
$6.48
HK$50.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.83
|
$5.23
HK$40.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$13.11
HK$102.08
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$113.89
|
$79.18
HK$616.37
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$12.85
HK$100.07
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 10.1% more for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.50
|
$74.06
HK$576.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.00
|
$42.18
HK$328.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.89
|
$91.97
HK$716.01
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.00
|
$142.80
HK$1,111.65
|
|
San Jose vs. Hong Kong - Cost of clothing
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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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