Cost of living comparison

 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
compared to
 Hanoi, Vietnam
Hanoi vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary

Hanoi is 5.8% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City.

Restaurants
pay 9.2% less in Hanoi
Groceries
pay 0.7% more in Hanoi
Transportation
pay 11.5% less in Hanoi
Housing
pay 15.2% less in Hanoi
Childcare
pay 9.3% less in Hanoi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.8% less in Hanoi
Clothing
pay 7.9% more in Hanoi

The cost of clothing and groceries in Hanoi are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including housing, transportation, childcare, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Hanoi.

Hanoi vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Hanoi instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:

pay 9.2% less for restaurants

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.98
₫51,648
$1.98
₫51,648
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.85
₫126,537
$4.75
₫123,955
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.51
₫13,325
$0.44
₫11,569

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pay 0.7% more for groceries

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Bread
1 loaf
$1.07
₫27,999
$1.03
₫26,850
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.90
₫153,975
$5.00
₫130,629
Milk (1 gallon) $5.76
₫150,394
$5.30
₫138,392

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pay 11.5% less for transportation

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.56
₫92,868
$3.47
₫90,557
Monthly public transit pass $13.05
₫340,876
$7.91
₫206,592
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $38,763.85
₫1,012,298,556
$39,554.95
₫1,032,957,711

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pay 15.2% less for housing

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$9.69
₫253,035
$9.00
₫235,134
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $476.20
₫12,435,836
$338.66
₫8,843,996
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $305.20
₫7,970,122
$239.31
₫6,249,394

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pay 9.3% less for childcare

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $252.71
₫6,599,452
$243.92
₫6,369,906
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $14,438.55
₫377,055,388
$12,260.72
₫320,182,458

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pay 3.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.19
₫30,989
$0.99
₫25,824
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.94
₫50,718
$1.83
₫47,874
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.38
₫36,154
$1.38
₫36,154

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pay 7.9% more for clothing

 
Ho Chi Minh City
Hanoi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$30.06
₫785,048
$36.72
₫958,957
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$25.09
₫655,113
$26.37
₫688,638
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$98.26
₫2,566,084
$92.93
₫2,426,840

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
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