Cost of living comparison
compared to
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo Cost of Living Summary
Hong Kong is 7.4% cheaper than San Mateo.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.6% less in Hong Kong
- Groceries
-
pay 18.0% less in Hong Kong
- Transportation
-
pay 52.6% more in Hong Kong
- Housing
-
pay 32.2% less in Hong Kong
- Childcare
-
pay 55.6% less in Hong Kong
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.2% more in Hong Kong
- Clothing
-
pay 55.1% more in Hong Kong
The cost of clothing, transportation, and entertainment and sports in Hong Kong are more expensive than in San Mateo. Expenses including restaurants, childcare, housing, and groceries are lower in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong vs. San Mateo Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of San Mateo, you would:
pay 55.6% less for restaurants
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.00
|
$7.91
HK$61.55
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$6.43
HK$50.04
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.12
|
$1.39
HK$10.81
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.34
|
$1.11
HK$8.66
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of restaurants
pay 18.0% less for groceries
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$5.11
|
$2.19
HK$17.06
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.44
|
$12.44
HK$96.86
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.00
|
$11.75
HK$91.46
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$8.00
|
$3.52
HK$27.37
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$9.67
|
$4.85
HK$37.76
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.00
|
$1.57
HK$12.19
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.90
|
$1.09
HK$8.46
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$1.62
HK$12.63
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.33
|
$1.39
HK$10.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.70
|
$1.10
HK$8.56
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.06
HK$8.25
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of groceries
pay 52.6% more for transportation
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$11.90
HK$92.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.60
|
$67.49
HK$525.40
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,753.89
|
$38,564.70
HK$300,226.22
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$14.53
HK$113.09
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of transportation
pay 32.2% less for housing
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.00
|
$22.19
HK$172.75
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,743.33
|
$2,349.29
HK$18,289.20
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,855.00
|
$1,688.04
HK$13,141.37
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$194.97
|
$177.52
HK$1,382.03
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of housing
pay 55.6% less for childcare
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$2,823.00
|
$1,038.61
HK$8,085.57
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$42,750.00
|
$22,248.89
HK$173,207.58
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of childcare
pay 2.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$6.48
HK$50.47
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.20
|
$5.23
HK$40.72
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.50
|
$13.11
HK$102.08
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$95.00
|
$79.18
HK$616.38
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.99
|
$12.85
HK$100.08
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 55.1% more for clothing
|
San Mateo
|
Hong Kong
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.00
|
$74.06
HK$576.58
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$25.00
|
$42.18
HK$328.34
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$101.67
|
$91.97
HK$716.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$60.00
|
$142.80
HK$1,111.66
|
|
San Mateo vs. Hong Kong - 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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