Budget Guide to Hong Kong

Our budget guide to Hong Kong is your one-stop shop for essential information on cheap accommodation, food, sightseeing and Hong Kong prices. This is a city that can empty your bank account, burn up your credit card and leave your piggy bank thoroughly smashed, but it doesn’t have to be that way – accommodation can be fair, food can be a bargain and the best sightseeing is free anyway.

Budget accommodation in Hong Kong

Your biggest blowout in Hong Kong is almost certainly going to be a bed to sleep in - some of the swankiest and priciest hotels in the world are set in the city.

There are bargains to be had; provided you’re willing to put up with box sized rooms and views of the nearest concrete walls you can slice a good chunk off accommodation prices. Try to avoid Chinese New Year and the Hong Kong Sevens, as this is when prices are increased. 

• Budget Accommodation Guide to Hong Kong
  Read this before you even think about booking your bed. There are plenty of tips, tricks and, of course, scams.
• Top Five Hong Kong Hostels and Guesthouses
  Hong Kong hostels don’t have to be all Chungking and cockroaches, take a look at these prime picks.
• Cheap Hong Kong Hotels For Less Than $75
  Yes, it is possible. Five Hong Kong hotels that will leave you change from a $100.

Budget Food in Hong Kong

There really is no need to spend extortionately on food in Hong Kong. The city has to be one of the world’s great food bargains. Superb Cantonese food is available for little more than pocket money and Indian, Thai and Malay dishes can also be had at bargain prices.

Tea sets are set menu lunches served between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and are a great way to get a cut price meal. It’s only when you start moving into Western cuisine that prices start eating up your budget.

• Best Restaurants in Hong Kong on a Budget
  Five fantastic restaurants in Hong Kong where you can chow down on the main meal for $15 or less.

• Street Food at a Dai Pai Dong
  Pick up a quintessential Hong Kong snack from some of the city’s dwindling street side food vendors.
• Hong Kong Cheap Eats
  Some of the best cheap eat in the city from burritos to South Carolina burgers.

Budget Sightseeing in Hong Kong

Most of Hong Kong’s best sights can be done for free, or for the price of a ferry or bus ticket. An iconic Star Ferry ride across Victoria Harbour costs just a couple of dollars, entry to the excellent Hong Kong Heritage Museum is just a dollar and walking around the bustling markets is free.

• Sightseeing in Hong Kong for a $1 Or Less
  See the city’s soaring skyscrapers on a tram, or take in the electric Hong Kong horseraces, plus three more experiences for less than a $1.
• Ten Things to Do in Hong Kong on a Budget
  Ten fantastic, and unique, Hong Kong experiences on a budget, including some for free.
• Try Tai Chi for Free
  Always wanted to bend your body around the curves of Tai Chi? Have a free lesson courtesy of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

More Budget Tips

Keep transport costs to a minimum by buying an Octopus Card, which offers a reduction on fares. The MTR metro system is simple to use and covers just about everywhere. 

Take the bus from the airport instead of the substantially pricier Airport Express train.

It's a little slower but about half the price, and you'll get some great views over the South China Sea on the way in. 

Can’t afford to drink in the bars of Lan Kwai Fong, then pick up a beer from the nearby 7-Eleven and join the crowds on the street (at weekends anyway). Hong Kong bars usually have happy hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. when beers and drinks are often 2 for 1.