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Student eats · November 2026
Studying abroad in Hong Kong
Every meal here costs HK$100 or less.
About $13 US. Typical prices, checked November 2, 2026.Hong Kong is expensive to live in and cheap to eat in. Students live on cha chaan tengs (Hong Kong diners), roast meat shops, noodle bars and the cheapest Michelin-starred dim sum in the world.
A day of eating for HK$170
- Breakfast, HK$50: Australia Dairy Company, scrambled egg sandwich, macaroni soup and a milk tea
- Lunch, HK$60: Kau Kee, beef brisket noodles in clear broth
- Dinner, HK$60: Joy Hing Roasted Meat, char siu (barbecue pork) on rice
Breakfast, lunch and dinner: HK$170, about $22.
Eat for HK$100 or less
1A photo like it
HK$50Breakfast
Australia Dairy Company
Get: Scrambled egg sandwich, macaroni soup and a milk tea
Famous for fast, gruff service and the softest scrambled eggs in Hong Kong. You'll be in and out in 15 minutes.
2A photo like it
HK$60Lunch
Kau Kee
Get: Beef brisket noodles in clear broth
A noodle shop since the 1930s, with a line at every lunch. Order fast, share a table.
3A photo like it
HK$70Lunch
Tim Ho Wan
Get: Baked barbecue pork buns and the steamed rice rolls
Started as a tiny shop that won a Michelin star for its dim sum. Still very cheap.
4A photo like it
HK$60Dinner
Joy Hing Roasted Meat
Get: Char siu (barbecue pork) on rice
A roast meat shop with barbecue pork hanging in the window. Simple and excellent.
5A photo like it
HK$35Snack
Kam Wah Cafe
Get: Pineapple bun with a slab of butter (bolo yau) and milk tea
Some of the city's best pineapple buns, warm from the oven, in a classic Mong Kok bakery-café.
6A photo like it
HK$55Dinner
Mak's Noodle
Get: Wonton noodles
Small bowls of springy noodles and shrimp wontons, a Hong Kong classic.
The market
Every day, mornings best
Graham Street Market
Central
Get: Fresh fruit, tofu and dried goods at wet market prices
Wet markets are much cheaper than supermarkets. Bowrington Road Market in Wan Chai has a cooked food centre upstairs.
The supermarket to find
Wellcome, ParknShop and 7-Eleven
- Instant noodles and fish balls for a cheap dinner in
- Bread from local bakeries (cocktail buns, egg tarts) for a few dollars
- Supermarket sushi and bento late at night at a discount
Buy an Octopus card on day one. It pays for food at 7-Eleven, cafés and most shops.
How students save in Hong Kong
- Have a 'set lunch' or 'tea set' (2 to 6pm) at cha chaan tengs: a drink and a meal for about HK$40 to HK$60.
- Cooked food centres above wet markets are the cheapest sit-down meals in town.
- University canteens (HKU, CUHK, HKUST) serve meals for about HK$30 to HK$50.
More for Hong Kong
Studying somewhere else?
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Prices are typical, checked November 2, 2026, and move; places with branches all over (chains) are named so you can use any of them. "A photo like it" is the same kind of food, not from that place. Chef Amazing is not paid by any place on this page.
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