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“Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” - Unknown
Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia and, while technically part of China, Hong Kong is very much its own thing.
It’s a very unique destination with a wealth of things to see and do. This cosmopolitan city, though a good distance from the UK, is certainly worth the long flight to get there.
Hong Kong is also a shopper’s paradise. But before you can go there and spend your money, you’ll probably want to know what kind of budget you’ll need to get there, how much you can expect to spend in Hong Kong, and how much you’ll have left for the shops!
Interested?
Here’s our guide to the cost of visiting Hong Kong.
The Cost of Getting to Hong Kong
Firstly, you should know that once you get to Hong Kong, you’ll be spending Hong Kong Dollars. HK$1 is worth around £0.09. It’s worth thinking of each one as a 10p piece if you want to quickly calculate the cost of something, but before you can spend your Hong Kong Dollars, you’ll need to get on a plane and travel to Hong Kong.
The cost of flights, like with other destinations, will vary according to the season. In the low season, you’ll be able to get return flights for around £300 or £400.
However, during the more popular times of the year, this can rise to between £500 and £700. Of course, you can get flights that are cheaper and more expensive than these estimates according to who you fly with, where you fly from, and the amenities you want onboard.
The price makes sense when you realise that Hong Kong is nearly 6,000 miles away!
Once you’ve landed, you have a few ways to travel to the city from the airport:
- Taxi: Around £40 for a 30-minute trip.
- Train: Around £10 for a 25-minute trip.
- Bus: Around £4, but the journey takes over an hour.
Generally, with taxis, you leave a tip. Of course, there are other ways to get to Hong Kong, but from the UK, flying is by far the best and most practical way to get there as it takes the least amount of time.
Once you’re there, you’ll need somewhere to stay.
Find out more about visiting Hong Kong
The Cost of Accommodation in Hong Kong
Accommodation will probably be one of the most important things to consider in your budget as property is one thing that costs quite a lot in Hong Kong. Like most other destinations, there’s a variety of accommodation for all budgets including hotels, guest houses, hostels, and Airbnbs.
Youth hostels are often the cheapest option at around £10 per night with hotels averaging between £60 and £80 a night for a room for two.
If you’re on a tight budget, you might want to think about staying in cheaper areas like Kowloon. With guest houses, you can find nightly rates closer to £40.
There's a lot of tourism in Hong Kong and international tourists are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding places to sleep. Hotels are by far the most common type of accommodation, but it's really up to you and your budget.
A lot of people are choosing to stay in holiday flats rather than hotels as they offer more privacy and can feel like a home away from home.
Find out more about accommodation in Hong Kong
Ready for your trip?
The Cost of Eating in Hong Kong
“All you've got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over.” - Tony Wheeler
While Hong Kong is technically part of China, the cost is nothing like the mainland. However, you can still find plenty of good food for very reasonable prices.
There are plenty of restaurants all over Hong Kong. You can get everything from local dishes to cuisine from every corner of the globe.
Even with the tip that’s included in the bill, you can get a decent meal for around £10 per person in a restaurant. However, you can find even cheaper street food from stalls.
If you fancy treating yourself, there are also a large number of upmarket restaurants with prices closer to what you’d pay back home. That said, your food budget in Hong Kong needn’t break the bank.
One of the best things you'll find when you visit Hong Kong is the fact that you can get food from all over the world. Many places offer local cuisine as well as Chinese, British, and Japanese food, to name a few.
Of course, you’ll still need to get to the restaurants!
Find out why you should visit Hong Kong
The Cost of Transport in Hong Kong
Like the other big cities in Asia, you won’t want to just stay in one area. Getting around Hong Kong is quite simples as there aren’t “zones” like in other cities. The most you’ll pay for a ticket is around £2. Just make sure you bring a map with you.
The Octopus Card can be used to pay for each trip. It’s a contactless card that you can top-up and use around Hong Kong. It’s a great way to avoid transaction fees while you’re travelling.
The Hong Kong Metro has 91 stations and you can get an “Adult Tourist Day Pass” for around £7 or half that price for a child.
You can get the ferry from Kowloon to North Point for less than £1. It’s certainly preferable to swimming!
Of course, a lot of people enjoy walking around Hong Kong as you can go shopping, visit a market, or even just enjoy the many green spaces both inside and outside of the city.
The Cost of Activities in Hong Kong
There’s so much to see and do in Hong Kong. Before you set off, you should think about what you’ll do once you get there. While there are a lot of things you can see and do for free, there will be things that you’ll want to do that come at a cost.
We mentioned earlier that shopping is hugely popular in Hong Kong. However, the shops in Hong Kong are usually cheaper than they are in London. If you have space in your suitcase, it might be worth bringing things back.
There’s everything from designer stores to outlet malls so during your time in Hong Kong, make sure that you experience as many interesting places as you can. In addition to the shops, there are other activities such as:
- Disneyland Hong Kong: HK$619 for adults and HK$458 for children.
- Art Museum: HK$10.
- Ocean Park: HK$280.
- Madame Tussauds: $HK265 (adults), $HK215 (children).
Discover Hong Kong's best attractions
However, there are also plenty of things you can do for free. Hong Kong Park, the Bank of China (with great views of the bay), and Victoria Peak (Hong Kong’s highest summit) are all free. Of course, you can also visit these places as part of a tour, which will cost you.
With all this in mind, you can now start budgeting for your trip to Hong Kong. Of course, it’ll cost you more than a city break in Europe.
However, there’s so much in Hong Kong that you can’t do anywhere else in the world. Enjoy your trip!
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