Cost of living in the UK vs Hong Kong: what changes for a family moving on a BN(O) visa

The bills side by side

Hong Kong figures are the Census and Statistics Department's 2024/25 Household Expenditure Survey for households in private housing, released on 9 June 2026. The survey puts average household spending at HK$32,472 a month, or HK$12,201 a head, which works out at about 2.7 people per household. UK figures are from this page's companion guide to the monthly cost of living, for a couple with one child in a two-to-three-bedroom house. Hong Kong dollars are converted at the Bank of England rate of HK$10.38 to the pound on 8 October 2026.

Two caveats sit behind the table. The Hong Kong figures are averages across households of every size in private housing, not only families, so read them per person rather than as a straight match. And the two surveys measure different years: Hong Kong's ran from October 2024 to September 2025, the UK food figures April 2024 to March 2025, while UK energy, council tax and water are this year's.

What costs more in the UK

Running the home. A Hong Kong flat needs cooling more than heating; an English house needs heating for much of the year. At the October to December 2026 price cap, a household using Ofgem's medium amounts pays about £1,723 a year for gas and electricity, nearly double what a Hong Kong household in private housing spends. Older English houses can cost more again, so ask for the Energy Performance Certificate before you commit to a let.

Water is a separate bill from a water company, averaging £639 a year in England and Wales for 2026–27, against about HK$91 a month in Hong Kong.

Council tax is the new line. Every home in England sits in a band, A to H, and the council sets the charge; the England average Band D bill for 2026–27 is £2,392 a year, usually paid in ten monthly instalments. In most lets the tenant pays it from the day the tenancy starts, on top of the rent, so it belongs in the rent budget, not after it. The TV licence, £180 a year, is needed to watch live television or use BBC iPlayer.

What costs less

Eating out. Hong Kong households in private housing spent about HK$5,386 a month on meals out and takeaway, nearly twice what they spent on food at home. A UK couple with one child spends about £216 a month on restaurants and hotels, well under what it spends on food at home, and food at home, per person, costs about the same as in Hong Kong.

Petrol is the clearest saving. The pump price of standard petrol in Hong Kong was HK$34.72 a litre on 31 October 2026, about £3.34; in the UK it was 174.9p in early October. If you drive, each tank costs roughly half as much.

If you employ a live-in domestic helper in Hong Kong, that cost goes. The minimum allowable wage for contracts signed from 3 October 2026 is HK$5,220 a month plus a food allowance of HK$1,236, about £622 a month together. Budget instead for the time, or the paid childcare, it used to cover.

What appears up front

The BN(O) route charges each applicant a visa fee and the immigration health surcharge, both paid in full with the application. The fee is £206 for 30 months or £285 for five years. The surcharge is £1,035 a year for each adult and £776 for each child. For two adults and a child on a five-year visa that is about £14,230 in surcharge plus £855 in fees, about £15,100 before you travel. Spread over the visa the surcharge is about £237 a month, but it is not paid monthly, and once you are here NHS care is free at the point of use.

Where the general rule stops

National averages hide most of what matters. A family leaving a flat on Hong Kong Island and one leaving Kowloon start from very different budgets: the survey's own figures put average household spending on Hong Kong Island at HK$45,334 a month against HK$28,434 in Kowloon. Rent is deliberately left out of this page, because it is the largest cost on both sides and varies too much by city; our guide to what rent you can afford in the UK covers it, along with what a letting agent's referencing will ask for when you have no UK credit history.

How Moovedin can help

The free scorecard takes four minutes and checks your budget against what the area you are moving to actually costs. The Blueprint is a written plan of your whole move, drawn up for your household: the areas that fit your budget and commute, the rent and bills you should expect there, and what to sort before you fly. It costs £99 and includes WhatsApp support from the Moovedin team until two weeks after you move in. Where your situation needs a judgement call, a call with me costs £79. Whichever you choose, ask for the council tax band and the EPC rating before every viewing. Together they decide most of what the home costs to run.

Frequently asked questions

Is the UK more expensive than Hong Kong to live in?

Rent aside, it depends on the bill. Heating, water and council tax cost more in the UK; eating out and petrol cost less; food at home costs about the same per person.

Do BN(O) visa holders pay the health surcharge?

Yes. Each applicant pays the immigration health surcharge in full with the application: £1,035 a year per adult and £776 per child. An affordability waiver can apply when extending in limited circumstances.

Do I pay rates in the UK?

Not under that name. The UK equivalent is council tax, set by the local council for each home's band and usually paid by the tenant. The England average Band D bill for 2026–27 is £2,392 a year.

Our area guides

Our area guides cover twelve English cities, three areas each, with current rents and what to check before you view: Manchester, London, Leeds, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, Sheffield, Newcastle, Nottingham, Cambridge, Oxford and York.