Singapore vs 
Hong Kong · 2026
Singapore vs Hong Kong: salary after tax and cost of living
Hong Kong hands back 87.4% of an $80,000 salary. Singapore hands back 76.0%. The surprising part is why: Singapore's income tax is small (SGD 6,443 on SGD 106,896, about 6% of gross) and nearly all of the gap is the SGD 19,200 employee CPF contribution. Hong Kong is also 3.5% cheaper to live in, so it leads on both take-home and prices.
Updated 6 September 2026. Data: World Bank PPP 2011 to 2025, IRAS YA2026, Inland Revenue Department 2026/27. Download the data (CSV)
Do you take home more in Singapore or Hong Kong?
The same salary, shown in US dollars and converted to each country at market exchange rates, so take-home is compared on the same real money.
| Salary (US$) | Singapore net (keep) | Hong Kong net (keep) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | SGD 41,267 | 77% | HK$287,328 | 92% |
| $60,000 | SGD 60,768 | 76% | HK$416,339 | 89% |
| $80,000 | SGD 81,253 | 76% | HK$545,882 | 87% |
| $100,000 | SGD 104,427 | 78% | HK$675,425 | 87% |
| $150,000 | SGD 159,998 | 80% | HK$999,283 | 85% |
How much tax do you pay on $80,000 in Singapore vs Hong Kong?
Singapore
- Gross
- SGD 106,896
- Income tax
- -SGD 6,443
- Social contributions
- -SGD 19,200
- Take-home
- SGD 81,253
- Effective rate
- 24.0%
Hong Kong
- Gross
- HK$624,304
- Income tax
- -HK$60,422
- Social contributions
- -HK$18,000
- Take-home
- HK$545,882
- Effective rate
- 12.6%
Is Hong Kong cheaper than Singapore, and what is your pay really worth?
On World Bank price levels (United States = 100), Singapore sits at 76.6 and Hong Kong at 73.9, so Hong Kong costs about 3.5% less to live in. Adjusted for those prices, a SGD 106,896 salary in Singapore has the same buying power as about HK$602,201 in Hong Kong. After both tax and cost of living, take-home on an $80,000 salary is worth more in Hong Kong.
It is the CPF, not the tax rate
Compare the income tax lines first. Singapore charges SGD 6,443 on this salary, 6.0% of gross, under its progressive resident rates. Hong Kong's salaries tax comes to HK$60,422 on HK$624,304, 9.7% of gross. On tax alone, Singapore is the lower-tax city.
The order flips once retirement contributions are added. Singapore's employee CPF contribution is SGD 19,200, 18.0% of gross, and it lifts total deductions to 24.0%. Hong Kong's employee MPF contribution is capped and comes to HK$18,000, 2.9% of gross, giving total deductions of 12.6%. Net pay in Hong Kong is HK$545,882 ($69,951) against SGD 81,253 ($60,809) in Singapore, a $9,142 difference. One important distinction: CPF and MPF are both compulsory savings that stay in the employee's own account, not tax that disappears. A Singapore worker who counts CPF as their own money is keeping 94.0% of gross, but that money is locked away for housing, healthcare and retirement rather than available for rent next month.
Up the ladder Singapore's retention rises while Hong Kong's falls
Singapore's numbers move in an unusual direction. Retention is 77.2% at $40,000, dips to 75.8% at $60,000, then climbs to 76.0%, 78.2% and 79.8% at $80,000, $100,000 and $150,000. The reason is the CPF wage ceiling: once salary passes it, the contribution stops growing and its share of gross shrinks faster than income tax rises.
Hong Kong runs the other way, as most tax systems do: 92.0% at $40,000, 88.9% at $60,000, 87.4% at $80,000, 86.6% at $100,000 and 85.4% at $150,000. The gap therefore closes from 14.8 points at the bottom rung to 5.6 points at the top. In cash the Hong Kong advantage is $5,935 at $40,000 ($36,819 against $30,884), peaks around $80,000 to $100,000 ($8,399 at $100,000), and is still $8,310 at $150,000 ($128,051 against $119,741). The two lines are converging but Hong Kong never loses on this ladder.
Prices and the real answer: Hong Kong by about 19%
The World Bank puts Singapore's price level at 76.6 and Hong Kong's at 73.9, which makes Hong Kong 3.5% cheaper on an economy-wide basket. To match what SGD 106,896 buys in Singapore you need HK$602,201 in Hong Kong, a little under the HK$624,304 that the same $80,000 converts to. In reverse, HK$624,304 in Hong Kong is equivalent to SGD 110,819 in Singapore.
Adjusted for those price levels, the Hong Kong net is worth $94,656 and the Singapore net $79,385, so Hong Kong is ahead by roughly 19% in real terms. Treat the housing line with care: both cities are expensive to rent in and the national index does not single out flats. Singapore residents can also draw on CPF for a home purchase, which softens the take-home gap for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Frequently asked questions
Is income tax lower in Singapore or Hong Kong on $80,000?+
Singapore: SGD 6,443 (6.0% of gross) against HK$60,422 (9.7%) in Hong Kong. Total deductions including CPF and MPF reverse the order at 24.0% and 12.6%.
Which city gives the higher take-home pay?+
Hong Kong, with $69,951 net against $60,809 in Singapore on the same $80,000, a difference of $9,142 a year.
Is Hong Kong cheaper than Singapore?+
Marginally. Hong Kong's price level is 73.9 and Singapore's 76.6, so Hong Kong is 3.5% cheaper on the World Bank measure.
What Hong Kong salary matches SGD 106,896 in Singapore?+
HK$602,201 buys the same standard of living. The market-rate conversion of the same $80,000 is HK$624,304.
Sources
- Individual Income Tax rates (resident) · IRAS, Singapore tax rules YA2026
- 2026-27 Budget Tax Measures · Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong tax rules 2026/27
- World Bank PPP conversion factors (2011 to 2025) · price levels and equivalence, CC BY 4.0
- Download this comparison as CSV · or JSON
- Take-home figures use each country's official 2026 income tax and social-contribution rules, factchecked against worked examples.
Estimates for general comparison, not financial, tax or relocation advice. Individual tax depends on allowances, residency and local rules; confirm with an official source before deciding.