Quick Answer: Published 2026 monthly rates for Hong Kong serviced apartments start at HK$23,100 nett in Ap Lei Chau and HK$24,000 in Tsim Sha Tsui, rising to HK$34,500 for a studio in Central and HK$45,000 at Harbour City. Most rates assume 30 consecutive nights. A stay of 28 days or more also changes which licence the building needs.
Published monthly rates for Hong Kong serviced apartments in 2026 start at HK$23,100 nett for a studio in Ap Lei Chau and HK$24,000 in Tsim Sha Tsui, rise to HK$34,500 for a studio in Central and reach HK$45,000 for selected apartments at Harbour City. Almost every quoted figure assumes 30 consecutive nights. The 28-day mark is the other number that matters, because accommodation offered for less than 28 consecutive days needs a hotel or guesthouse licence. This guide covers what the rate includes, who the operators are, the published 2026 prices by district, minimum stays, how the maths compares with a hotel, and the licensing question. Properties are listed under hotels and accommodation, lodging and residential on Portal Hong Kong.
What does a serviced apartment include?
A furnished flat with a kitchen or kitchenette, linen, housekeeping, utilities and broadband, all inside one monthly figure, plus building facilities and a staffed reception. The contrast with an ordinary letting is the bundling: on a normal tenancy the rent is quoted net of rates, management fees and utilities, which the Rating and Valuation Department spells out in the technical notes to its Hong Kong Property Review Monthly Supplement (September 2026). A serviced apartment rate normally absorbs all of that, which is why a headline monthly figure looks high next to a market rent. The same supplement puts the July 2026 provisional average rent for a flat under 40 square metres at HK$553 per square metre a month on Hong Kong Island and HK$472 in Kowloon, before any of those extras. The full comparison with a standard lease is in the guide to renting an apartment.
What do serviced apartments cost by district in 2026?
| Property | District | Published monthly rate | Unit type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shama Hub Metro South | Ap Lei Chau, Southern | From HK$23,100 nett | Studio, 30 consecutive nights |
| Shama Tsim Sha Tsui | Tsim Sha Tsui, 78 Nathan Road | From HK$24,000 nett | Studio, 30 consecutive nights |
| Shama Island North | Fortress Hill, Eastern | From HK$24,300 nett | One bedroom, 30 consecutive nights |
| Shama Hollywood | 52 Hollywood Road, Central | From HK$33,900 nett | One bedroom with balcony, 30 nights |
| Shama Central | 26 Peel Street, Central | From HK$34,500 nett | Studio, 30 consecutive nights |
| Gateway Apartments | Harbour City, Tsim Sha Tsui | From HK$45,000 a month | Selected apartments, terms apply |
Rates are taken from the operators' own pages on 16 September 2026: Shama Central, Shama Hollywood, Shama Island North, Shama Tsim Sha Tsui, Shama Hub Metro South and Gateway Apartments. Several well-known operators publish nothing. Swire Properties' residential portfolio, Bishop Lei International House in the Mid-Levels and Hanlun Habitats all quote on enquiry, with no monthly rate on their websites when checked on 16 September 2026, so no figure is given for them here rather than a number borrowed from a booking site. Hotel groups with long-stay product are listed too, among them Ovolo Sheung Wan.
What are the minimum stays?
The published monthly rates are all built on 30 consecutive nights, so a month is the effective floor wherever a monthly price exists. Below that you are buying nightly rates, which is a different product at a different price. Above it, three, six and twelve-month commitments usually pull the monthly figure down, and the deposit and notice period start to look like a lease. Ask three questions before signing: how many months the quoted rate assumes, what the deposit is in months, and what notice ends the stay early.
When does a serviced apartment beat a hotel?
On a relocation of a month or more, usually. HK$34,500 a month in Central works out at HK$1,150 a night for a studio with a kitchen, housekeeping, utilities and broadband, which no Central hotel room matches on a nightly rate. A hotel bill also carries Hotel Accommodation Tax, which the Legislative Council restored from 0% to 3% of all accommodation charges with effect from 1 January 2025. Under two weeks the hotel wins on flexibility and on price, and there is no deposit to recover. The break-even sits somewhere around three to four weeks, which is close to where the licensing line falls as well. For choosing the area first, see the guides to Central, Tsim Sha Tsui and where to stay by district, and browse hotels for the short end.
Which properties need a guesthouse licence?
The test is the length of stay on offer, not the name on the building. The Office of the Licensing Authority states that under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (Cap. 349) premises are a hotel or guesthouse if they are held out as providing sleeping accommodation to any person willing to pay a fee for a period of less than 28 consecutive days. Those premises need a licence, with validity periods running from 12 to 84 months, and renewal applied for three to six months before expiry. A building that lets only on terms of 28 days or more sits outside the definition and is let on a tenancy agreement instead, which brings stamp duty on the lease into play at 0.25% of the total rent for a term of a year or less and 0.5% of the yearly rent above that, per the Inland Revenue Department's stamping notes for tenancy agreements. Ask the operator which of the two it is before you pay, because it decides your rights, your paperwork and who is liable for the duty. Businesses serving relocating staff are listed under property services, and serviced offices under serviced office.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a serviced apartment cost per month in Hong Kong?
- Shama publishes monthly starting rates for 30 consecutive nights: HK$23,100 nett for a studio at Shama Hub Metro South in Ap Lei Chau, HK$24,000 for a studio in Tsim Sha Tsui, HK$24,300 for a one-bedroom at Fortress Hill, HK$33,900 for a one-bedroom with balcony on Hollywood Road and HK$34,500 for a studio off Peel Street in Central. Gateway Apartments at Harbour City advertises selected apartments from HK$45,000 a month. Rates checked 16 September 2026.
- What is included in a Hong Kong serviced apartment?
- A furnished flat with a kitchen or kitchenette, linen and towels, housekeeping, utilities and broadband bundled into one monthly figure, plus building facilities such as a gym, a pool, a residents' lounge and a reception desk. Most operators also bundle rates and management fees into the rate, which an ordinary tenancy does not. Confirm the housekeeping frequency, whether a laundry service is included and what the cleaning fee is on departure.
- What is the minimum stay for a serviced apartment in Hong Kong?
- The published monthly rates are built on 30 consecutive nights, so a month is the practical minimum at the operators that quote a monthly price. Shorter stays are sold at nightly rates instead, and longer commitments of three, six or twelve months usually bring the monthly figure down. The 28-day line matters separately, because accommodation offered for periods of less than 28 consecutive days requires a hotel or guesthouse licence.
- Is a serviced apartment cheaper than a hotel in Hong Kong?
- For a relocation of a month or more it usually is, because the monthly rate is a bulk price rather than a nightly one, the flat has a kitchen and the bill covers utilities, broadband and housekeeping. A hotel bill also carries Hotel Accommodation Tax, reimposed at 3% on all accommodation charges from 1 January 2025. For stays under two weeks a hotel is generally the better value and the simpler booking.
- Do serviced apartments in Hong Kong need a guesthouse licence?
- It depends on the length of stay offered. Under the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance (Cap. 349), premises are a hotel or guesthouse if they are held out as providing sleeping accommodation to anyone willing to pay a fee for a period of less than 28 consecutive days, and those premises need a licence from the Office of the Licensing Authority. A building let only on tenancies of 28 days or more falls outside that definition and is let under a tenancy agreement instead.
- Do I pay stamp duty on a serviced apartment in Hong Kong?
- If the stay is documented as a tenancy agreement, yes. Stamp duty on a lease is 0.25% of the total rent for a term of one year or less, 0.5% of the yearly rent for a term over one year but not over three, and 1% above that, with HK$5 for each duplicate or counterpart. If the stay is sold as licensed hotel or guesthouse accommodation instead, the bill carries Hotel Accommodation Tax at 3% rather than lease stamp duty.
- Which Hong Kong districts are cheapest for serviced apartments?
- On the published rates of one operator with five Hong Kong properties, the Southern district is the softest at HK$23,100 a month in Ap Lei Chau, followed by Tsim Sha Tsui at HK$24,000 and Fortress Hill at HK$24,300, with Central the dearest at HK$34,500 for a studio. The pattern matches the wider rental market, where Hong Kong Island rents per square metre run well above Kowloon and the New Territories.
