Vol. III · No. 47 · Q1 2026 EditionUpdated Weekly · ECB FX

WorthOf

A global ledger of salary, tax & the price of living

City Report·Updated 31 May 2026·Reading time 8 min

HK · HKD

Hong Kong, in figures— what HK$50,000 is really worth

Updated today· Recently updated
Share this report
RedditLinkedIn
Median Gross Salary
HK$85,000
3.4% YoY
Cost of Living Index
86.2
NYC = 100
2.1% YoY
Rent · 1BR Centre
HK$3,880
monthly
5.8% YoY
Effective Tax · HK$50k
6.9%
0.4% YoY
§ 01
Net Salary

What the state takes — and what is left

Gross Annual Salary
HK$
Social Security−HK$2,500
Income Tax−HK$950
Net AnnualHK$46,550
Net / month (12×)HK$3,879
Effective Rate6.9%
Open in full calculator →
Full Schedule of Brackets · Single Filer · 2025
#FromToRateTax in band
01HK$0HK$50,0002%HK$950
02HK$50,000HK$100,0006%
03HK$100,000HK$150,00010%
04HK$150,000HK$200,00014.0%
05HK$200,00017%
§ 02
Cost of Living

A monthly ledger, line by line

Monthly Spend · HK$
Rent · 1BR Centre
HK$3,880
Groceries
HK$465
Eating Out (15 meals)
HK$270
Utilities
HK$248
Internet
HK$48
Transport Pass
HK$110
Gym
HK$62
Total Indicative MonthlyHK$5,083
RentFoodFixed costs
Versus the Reference Set
CityCOLRent 1BR
Hong KongYou86.2HK$3,880
Tokyo72.4¥1,780
Istanbul42.4₺880
São Paulo38.8R$720
Bangkok35.8฿680
Mumbai32.8₹680
Jakarta32.4Rp580
Bangalore30.4₹540
Delhi28.8₹480
§ 03
Purchasing Power

What the salary actually buys

PPP Index · HK$50k gross
4500

Relative to a NYC baseline of 100. Higher means your net stretches further here.

Monthly net
HK$3,879
After centre rent
HK$0
Months of rent / month net
0
COL index
86.2
§ 04
Methodology

How we count, and from whom

Taxation

From statute, not estimate

Brackets reflect the published 2025 single-filer schedule. Social security is applied as a flat charge against gross before progressive bands.

Source · OECD Taxing Wages 2025· CC-BY-4.0
Cost of Living

Aggregated, then audited

Crowdsourced consumer prices are blended with Eurostat HICP indices, then sanity-checked against rental listings and municipal data.

Source · Numbeo Cost of Living· CC-BY-4.0 (aggregated)
Exchange Rates

ECB reference, daily

Cross-currency comparisons use the European Central Bank's daily reference rate against the euro, fixed at 14:15 CET.

§ 05
FAQ

Frequently asked, quietly answered

How much is HK$50,000 after tax in Hong Kong?+

On a HK$50,000 gross salary in Hong Kong, the effective rate is 6.9%, leaving approximately HK$46,550 net per year — about HK$3,879 per month across 12 payments.

What is the average rent for a 1-bedroom in Hong Kong?+

In the city centre, expect roughly HK$3,880 per month for a one-bedroom flat; outside the centre this falls to about HK$2,880.

Is Hong Kong expensive compared to other European cities?+

Hong Kong sits at a cost-of-living index of 86.2 (NYC = 100), placing it above the European median.

How are tax brackets applied in Hong Kong?+

Hong Kong uses progressive income tax with 5 bands. Social security (5.0% of gross) is deducted first; the remainder is taxed band-by-band, not as a single rate on the whole salary.

Does Hong Kong pay 14 monthly salaries?+

No. Salaries in Hong Kong are paid across 12 monthly instalments.

How often is this report updated?+

Figures are refreshed quarterly, with FX rates updated weekly against the ECB reference rate. Tax schedules update each January for the new fiscal year.

Where does WorthOf source its data?+

We blend European Central Bank — Reference Rates, European Central Bank (via Frankfurter), Eurostat HICP and other public datasets. Every figure is dated and traceable in §04 above.

Affiliate disclosure

Some links on this page are affiliate links. WorthOf may earn a commission if you sign up. This does not affect our data, our methodology, or our editorial independence.

Continue reading

Other dispatches

6 of 7 cities on file