Hong Kong textbook prices see sharpest rise since 2020 amid subsidy cuts

Parents in Hong Kong are facing rising education costs as textbook prices for the 2026-27 academic year increased by an average of 3.6%, the steepest hike since the pandemic began. A set of books now costs between HK$4,000 and HK$6,000, with the price surge exacerbated by the government's 2025 abolition of a universal HK$2,500 student grant. The shift to digital learning materials with single-use codes is also driving up costs and complicating the use of second-hand books.