Moving to Hong Kong
Visas and residency, citizenship, tax, company and banking, cost of living and the places to live in Hong Kong, in one place.
Eastern AsiaThinking about moving to Hong Kong?
Here's how long you can stay, the ways to live there for good, what you'd pay in tax and what everyday life costs, each figure from an official source.
In this guide, I'll show you:
- How long you can stay, by passport
- The visas and residency routes that let you live there
- How tax works, with the rates
- What it costs, and the internet and safety
- The best places to live
- The basics: capital, currency and languages
Pick your passport at the top of the page, and the stay rule shows for you.
TL;DRKey takeaways
Hong Kong at a glance
How long can you stay in Hong Kong?
It depends on the passport you hold.
For any other passport, pick yours at the top, or see every country on the visa-free countries map.
Visas and residency in Hong Kong
These routes don't need a local job either:
- New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES) (golden visa (residency by investment)) – HK$30 million: HK$27 million in permissible financial assets and real estate, plus HK$3 million in the CIES Investment Portfolio
See the investor routes side by side in the golden visa finder, and the ones for retirees in the retirement visa finder.
Tax in Hong Kong
Hong Kong taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
See where it sits among every country on the territorial tax map.
The main rates:
- Lowest income tax band – 0%
- Top income tax rate – 15%
- Corporate tax – 16%
- VAT or sales tax – 0%
Where you're a tax resident usually comes down to days.
Count yours with the 183-day rule calculator.
Company and banking
Compare the banks and cards that work for people abroad in the bank account finder.
Move money for less with the money transfer comparison.
Setting up a company here?
See the fees and yearly costs in company formation compared.
Many people who live abroad run a US LLC instead; check yours with the US LLC for non-residents checker.
Cost of living in Hong Kong
Everyday prices in Hong Kong are about 71% of US prices.
That's the World Bank's price level for 2025: its purchasing power conversion factor divided by the exchange rate.
It's cheaper than the US, though rent in the big cities can close the gap.
A night's stay in a whole place, by Inside Airbnb's median:
- Hong Kong – $136
Convert what things cost with the currency converter.
Is Hong Kong safe?
The US State Department rates Hong Kong Level 2 ("Exercise increased caution", updated 2026-09-04), the same level it gives France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. Levels 1 and 2 are both everyday travel; the US only asks you to reconsider a trip at Level 3. Some advisories are stricter for parts of a country, so read the full advisory before you go.
For a second view, the UK has no warning against travel.
See every country's level on the travel advisory map.
Internet in Hong Kong
In M-Lab's open speed tests across Hong Kong over the last 12 months, half came in above 42 Mbps download.
The fastest quarter of lines came in above 140 Mbps, closer to a good fiber connection (2,580,019 tests).
By place:
- Hong Kong – 42 Mbps typical
Test your own line when you arrive with my internet speed test.
The best places to live in Hong Kong
Compare them with places everywhere in digital nomad locations.
Hong Kong: the basics
| What | Hong Kong |
|---|---|
| Capital | Hong Kong |
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HKD) |
| Languages | Chinese, Cantonese, English |
| Population | about 7.4 million |
From GeoNames' country data (CC BY 4.0).
More tools for Hong Kong
- Passport index and compare passports
- Time zone overlap calculator for calls with home
- eSIM finder for data when you land
- Card fees abroad calculator before you spend
Hong Kong FAQs
It depends on your passport.
Pick yours at the top of the page to see the days, and whether you need a visa first.
Not that I've found in official sources as of 2026-09-29.
The digital nomad visa finder lists every country that has one.
Yes: New Capital Investment Entrant Scheme (New CIES).
HK$30 million: HK$27 million in permissible financial assets and real estate, plus HK$3 million in the CIES Investment Portfolio
Hong Kong taxes only income earned inside the country, not income from abroad.
Check the details with a tax adviser before you move.
Everyday prices are about 71% of US prices, by the World Bank's price level for 2025.
Rent in the biggest cities can be higher than that suggests.
The US State Department rates it Level 2.
Levels 1 and 2 are everyday travel; read the full advisory for any regions it warns about.
Half of M-Lab's tests there came in above 42 Mbps download over the last 12 months.
The fastest quarter of lines passed 140 Mbps.
The places I cover there are Hong Kong.
Each has its own guide with the weather by month, internet and costs.
The Hong Kong dollar (HKD).
The main languages are Chinese, Cantonese and English.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
Places to live in Hong Kong
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