Cost of living comparison

 South Africa
compared to
 Vietnam
Vietnam vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Vietnam is 9.0% cheaper than South Africa overall.

Restaurants
pay 46.8% less in Vietnam
Groceries
pay 0.8% less in Vietnam
Transportation
pay 19.8% less in Vietnam
Housing
pay 47.0% less in Vietnam
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more in Vietnam
Entertainment and Sports
pay 41.0% less in Vietnam
Clothing
pay 21.5% less in Vietnam

Expenses including housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and groceries are lower in Vietnam. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Vietnam.

Vietnam vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Vietnam instead of South Africa, you would:

pay 46.8% less for restaurants

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $8.97
ZAR171.62
$1.92
₫49,454
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.77
ZAR91.25
$4.34
₫111,794
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.95
ZAR18.26
$0.54
₫13,871

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pay 0.8% less for groceries

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Bread
1 loaf
$0.99
ZAR18.95
$0.90
₫23,243
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.67
ZAR70.30
$6.05
₫155,929
Milk (1 gallon) $4.20
ZAR80.31
$5.46
₫140,664

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pay 19.8% less for transportation

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.99
ZAR95.43
$3.47
₫89,310
Monthly public transit pass $52.31
ZAR1,000.62
$7.11
₫183,075
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $20,607.77
ZAR394,192.37
$35,423.92
₫912,402,187

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pay 47.0% less for housing

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$41.37
ZAR791.33
$8.68
₫223,652
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $382.55
ZAR7,317.62
$297.09
₫7,652,027
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $326.35
ZAR6,242.48
$207.27
₫5,338,569

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pay 2.1 times more for childcare

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $174.12
ZAR3,330.56
$205.27
₫5,286,975
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,033.53
ZAR77,154.68
$12,496.31
₫321,863,294

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pay 41.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.11
ZAR40.32
$0.88
₫22,572
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.88
ZAR36.01
$1.58
₫40,703
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.90
ZAR55.55
$1.27
₫32,602

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pay 21.5% less for clothing

 
South Africa
Vietnam
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$47.72
ZAR912.71
$28.00
₫721,112
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$32.06
ZAR613.24
$22.19
₫571,636
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.39
ZAR1,728.99
$79.50
₫2,047,533

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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: April 2025
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