CNY to HKD

The CNY/HKD exchange rate explained

The page you are reading tracks the exchange rate between Chinese Yuan (CNY) and Hong Kong Dollar (HKD), together with the prices that banks, money apps and exchanges actually ask. At the latest update on October 31, 2026, 1 CNY buys 1.1786 HKD, while 1 HKD is worth 0.848435 CNY.

The figure at the top is the mid-market rate, sometimes called the interbank rate. It sits exactly halfway between the buying and selling prices on the wholesale market. It works as a neutral benchmark: it contains no profit margin and no fees, and that is why few consumer services pass it on unchanged.

The amount that lands in the other account comes down to two separate costs: the gap between the provider’s rate and the mid-market rate and any fixed or percentage fee. Below the converter and chart we show how those costs are built up, show how they add up on a real amount and list practical steps to get closer to the mid-market rate when converting CNY to HKD.

Before you send: security and large amounts

Check the provider’s licence first. Look for authorisation from the FCA in the UK or the financial regulator in your own country. Licensed payment firms must keep customer money separate from their own and that offers protection if the company fails.

Double-check the recipient details before you confirm. Once money has left, getting it back is difficult. Unexpected changes to payment details are a classic warning sign: confirm by phone using a number you already know.

For large amounts, expect extra checks. You may need to show proof of the source of funds, for example a contract of sale or an account statement. Some providers lower their margin on request for larger customers. Ask whether you can fix the rate in advance.

Getting the most HKD for your CNY

Look at the final amount, not just the fee. A small fee on its own says little when the margin is high. The number that matters is how much HKD arrives for your CNY, which combines the markup and the fee.

When you pay by card abroad, a terminal may offer to charge you in your home currency. This is called dynamic currency conversion. It tends to be among the most expensive ways to convert. Choose the local currency so your bank or card issuer handles the exchange.

Watch the timing as well. Some providers widen their margin at weekends, when currency markets are closed. When there is no deadline, you can set a target rate and let the provider convert only when it is reached. It saves you from checking the rate every day, but there is no guarantee the rate will get there.

Also check how you fund the transfer. Card payments often cost more than a bank transfer, and funding by bank transfer tends to keep costs down. Sending less often but in larger amounts means fixed charges hit you fewer times.

Where you pay with CNY and HKD

Chinese Yuan is used in China. Hong Kong Dollar is used in Hong Kong SAR China. This matters for anyone who earns in one of these currencies and spends in the other.

There are plenty of everyday reasons to convert CNY to HKD: rent or a mortgage abroad, tuition fees, a salary paid in another currency, savings or a holiday. What suits one case may not suit another: a single big transfer benefits most from a sharp rate, whereas frequent smaller payments are more sensitive to fixed fees.

Payout methods vary from country to country. Some recipients expect a bank account number with a local bank code, others an IBAN, and in some places cash pickup or mobile money is common. Have the recipient’s full details ready before you begin.

What 5,000.00 CNY gets you in HKD

Consider a transfer of 5,000.00 CNY. Using the reference rate of 1.1786, you can work out the upper limit of what any provider could deliver in HKD. No service pays out that exact figure, since the margin and fees are taken out along the way.

Across the 8 providers in our comparison, Revolut gave the best result: the recipient gets 5,863.74 HKD at the time of our last update. The difference between that figure and the mid-market amount is the real price of the transfer.

Bear in mind that rankings shift with the amount you send. A flat fee hurts most when the amount is small, while a percentage margin grows along with the amount. Enter your own amount in the converter for a ranking that fits your situation.

Exchange rate markup and fees on CNY/HKD

Most providers do not convert at the mid-market rate itself. Instead they quote a slightly worse rate and earn on the difference. That gap is called the exchange rate margin. If the margin is 2%, then for every 100 CNY you convert, about 2 CNY worth disappears before the money arrives.

Next to that markup, most banks charge an explicit fee. This is usually a flat charge per payment, a share of what you send or a mix of both. For transfers sent through the banking network extra deductions can follow, so the recipient gets less than you expected.

Be wary of anything sold as commission-free. Free usually means the price is built into the exchange rate. The only fair way to compare is the final HKD figure for the same amount of CNY, which is how the table above is sorted.

How our CNY/HKD comparison works

Every calculation begins with the mid-market rate of 1.1786. We then apply each provider’s published fees and exchange rate margin, to calculate what actually arrives in HKD. The comparison covers 8 providers, so you can see the differences at a glance.

We update the rates every 30 minutes, and the date on the page shows when the data was last updated. Always check the final quote in the provider’s app or website, because their rate can move between our updates, especially when markets are busy.

We are not owned by any provider. Some of the links are affiliate links, which help pay for the site. That never changes the ranking: providers are sorted purely by how much HKD the recipient gets.

Chinese Yuan against Hong Kong Dollar: the last twelve months

Over the past twelve months, the CNY/HKD rate has changed by +7.91%. During that year the top of the range was 1.1786 HKD per CNY, and the low point came in at 1.0909. At 1.1786, the rate today sits somewhere inside that range.

That range between high and low shows how much the rate can move in practice. On a large conversion, timing has a visible effect on the outcome, sometimes more than the choice of provider.

The rate reflects central bank policy, economic data and shifts in risk appetite. These figures describe the past and say nothing about what comes next. If you want to act on a certain rate, a rate alert is a calmer option than trying to predict the market.

Bank transfer or money transfer service for HKD?

With a classic international transfer, the bank sends the payment through SWIFT. Your transfer may hop between several banks before it arrives, and each can take a fee. Delivery usually takes one to several working days, with the full cost not always known upfront.

Specialised transfer services often work differently. They keep money in accounts in both regions, so your CNY stays in the CNY system and the recipient is paid in HKD from a local account. This usually cuts both time and cost, and you see exactly what will arrive before you confirm.

How fast a transfer really is depends on more than the provider: how you pay, the time of day, cut-off times and bank holidays in both countries. The very first payment may be slower because the provider has to verify your identity. Finish verification in advance if the money has to arrive on a set date.