Prices & Fees at Temple Street Night Market
π΄ Prices verified October 2026
Entry to the night market is FREE. Temple Street is a public street in Jordan / Yau Ma Tei, and the stalls are individually run β there is no admission ticket, no gate, no timed slot and no booking. The figures on this page are either official Hong Kong government or operator rates, or clearly labelled typical street prices.
Temple Street is one of the last true street markets in Hong Kong, and the way it charges reflects that: you pay stall by stall, exactly as the locals do. Nothing is sold as a package, and nobody takes a cut at the gate. What follows is a plain account of what a visitor actually hands over β the official taxi tariff that gets you here, the typical prices for the food and the fortune-tellers, and the small etiquette of bargaining that decides whether you leave with a bargain or a story.
Is there an entry fee?
No. The market is a working street, not an attraction with a turnstile. It runs every evening, with the busiest hours after dark, roughly 19:00β22:00. The food, the shopping and the entertainment are all separate transactions. For the daily rhythm β when stalls actually set up and when the fortune-tellers appear β see our opening hours guide.
π« What is genuinely free
- Entry to the market: free, every evening.
- Cantonese opera: the informal singers near Tin Hau Temple perform for passers-by; listening costs nothing, though a tip is appreciated.
- Tin Hau Temple: free entry, with donations optional β this is an active place of worship, so treat any offering box as voluntary, never a fee.
Typical food and drink prices
Stalls are independent, so no official price list exists. The figures below are typical Hong Kong street prices, gathered from market guides and our own research, and are best read as "expect to pay about this much", not as a published menu. Vendors take cash; some take Octopus.
| Item | Typical price (HK$) |
|---|---|
| Fish balls (ιθ) | HK$10β15 |
| Siu mai (ηθ³£) | HK$10β15 |
| Spicy skewers | HK$15β30 |
| Claypot rice (η ²δ»ι£―) | HK$50β80 |
| Seafood (crab / prawns / clams) | HK$100β200 |
| Turkish lamb kebab | HK$40β60 |
| Mido Cafe (retro cha chaan teng) | HK$40β80 |
| Fresh fruit juice | HK$15β25 |
| Budget per person for a full food experience | HK$80β200 |
Type: observed / indicative. Sources: Hong Kong Tourism Board (discoverhongkong.com) and this site's food guide, verified October 2026.
For a dish-by-dish walkthrough of the market's signature plates, see our Temple Street food guide.
Fortune-telling and other experiences
The fortune-tellers β palm, face and the famous bird readings β sit along the same stretch of street and quote per reading. Prices are negotiable and vary with the reader's reputation and how busy the evening is.
| Experience | Cost | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Cantonese opera (informal, near Tin Hau Temple) | Free; a tip is appreciated | Observed |
| Fortune telling (palm / face / bird) | ~HK$100β300 per reading | Observed |
| Tin Hau Temple visit | Free; donations optional | Observed |
Most fortune-tellers work in Cantonese, and a few speak English. Agree the price before the reading begins β that is the local convention and it removes any awkwardness at the end.
Transport: what it costs to get here
Two MTR stations bracket the market: Jordan (Tsuen Wan Line), Exit A, for the southern end, and Yau Ma Tei (Tsuen Wan and Kwun Tong Lines), Exit C, for the northern end. For routes and walking directions, see how to get to Temple Street.
π MTR fares: check the planner, not a fixed number
MTR no longer publishes a simple printed fare table β fares are calculated by the official MTR trip planner based on the exact origin and destination. We deliberately do not quote a single JordanβCentral fare here, because the numbers circulating online disagree with each other. Enter your own journey into the planner for the current, correct price.
Taxi β official tariff (unchanged through 2026)
If you take a red urban taxi, the meter is set by the Transport Department. The tariff effective 14 July 2024 and still in force in 2026 is as follows.
| Charge | Amount (HK$) |
|---|---|
| Flagfall (first 2 km) | HK$29 |
| Each additional 200 m, or each minute of waiting | HK$2.10 |
| Rate after the meter passes HK$102.50 | HK$1.40 |
| Luggage (per piece; cabin hand luggage free) | HK$6 |
| Cross-harbour toll (each way, unless boarding at a cross-harbour stand) | HK$25 |
Source: Hong Kong Transport Department fare notice (info.gov.hk), verified October 2026. Since 1 April 2026 taxis must offer at least two electronic payment methods.
The non-obvious costs
- Bargaining is expected β but only on goods. Hong Kong market culture opens high, and a courteous start around 30β40% below the asking price is normal. Food is generally fixed; souvenirs, clothing and trinkets are where negotiation lives. (Observed.)
- Cash versus Octopus. Octopus is accepted across transport and many shops, but the smaller food stalls are happiest with cash β carry some small notes. (Observed.)
- No lockers and no parking fee. There is no locker service at the market, and the street is a pedestrian area from 14:00 to midnight, so there is nothing to pay for parking here either.
Currency
Prices are in Hong Kong dollars (HK$). As a rough guide, HK$1 β US$0.128, so HK$10 β US$1.28 (the dollar is pegged to the US dollar at about 7.75β7.85). Treat conversions as approximate and recompute on the day you travel.
How to pay: on the spot, no booking needed
There is nothing to book and nothing to pre-purchase for the market itself. You turn up, you walk, and you pay each stall as you go β cash for small vendors, Octopus or card where it is offered. The two things worth sorting before you arrive are your transport (tap in with an Octopus card or a contactless bank card) and enough cash for the food stalls.
Prices verified October 2026. The taxi tariff is an official Transport Department figure; MTR fares change by journey and must be checked on the official trip planner. Food and fortune-telling prices are typical, observed rates and are indicative only.
