Cost of living comparison

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

South Korea is 2.3 times more expensive than Vietnam overall.

Restaurants
pay 2.4 times more in South Korea
Groceries
pay 2.9 times more in South Korea
Transportation
pay 2.5 times more in South Korea
Housing
pay 96.1% more in South Korea
Childcare
pay 82.6% more in South Korea
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.7 times more in South Korea
Clothing
pay 56.6% more in South Korea

The cost of groceries, entertainment and sports, transportation, restaurants, housing, and childcare in South Korea are more expensive than in Vietnam. Notably, groceries, entertainment and sports, and transportation are significantly more expensive in South Korea.

South Korea vs. Vietnam Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.4 times more for restaurants

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.92
₫49,115
$6.16
₩9,028
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.34
₫111,027
$5.24
₩7,679
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.54
₫13,776
$1.47
₩2,158

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pay 2.9 times more for groceries

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Bread
1 loaf
$0.90
₫23,083
$3.08
₩4,510
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.05
₫154,860
$5.40
₩7,922
Milk (1 gallon) $5.46
₫139,699
$7.46
₩10,932

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pay 2.5 times more for transportation

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.47
₫88,698
$4.39
₩6,438
Monthly public transit pass $7.11
₫181,819
$45.32
₩66,424
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $35,423.92
₫906,143,762
$27,023.07
₩39,609,869

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pay 96.1% more for housing

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$8.68
₫222,118
$17.65
₩25,877
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $297.09
₫7,599,540
$426.93
₩625,788
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $207.27
₫5,301,950
$328.41
₩481,381

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pay 82.6% more for childcare

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $205.27
₫5,250,710
$373.40
₩547,323
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $12,496.31
₫319,655,543
$22,907.58
₩33,577,466

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pay 2.7 times more for entertainment and sports

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.88
₫22,417
$3.09
₩4,535
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.58
₫40,424
$3.39
₩4,968
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$1.27
₫32,378
$3.21
₩4,711

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pay 56.6% more for clothing

 
Vietnam
South Korea
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$28.00
₫716,165
$60.70
₩88,980
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$22.19
₫567,715
$44.52
₩65,260
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$79.50
₫2,033,488
$72.99
₩106,991

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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: March 2025
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