Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cape Town and Hoi An

For one person, living is cheaper in Hoi An: $874 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Hoi An
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Hoi An Living Index

Jump to prices

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Hoi An

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cape Town and in Hoi An

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cape Town and in Hoi An actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,586 per month in Cape Town vs $874 in Hoi An, rent included.

Cape Town $1,586
Hoi An $874

A couple spends around $2,425 per month in Cape Town vs $1,270 in Hoi An, rent included.

Cape Town $2,425
Hoi An $1,270

A family of three spends $3,263 per month in Cape Town vs $1,666 in Hoi An, rent included.

Cape Town $3,263
Hoi An $1,666

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Hoi An, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cape Town sits 17% above the global median, while Hoi An is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 R 200

$2.33 ₫60.4K

421.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.34 R 747

$18.43 ₫477.2K

146.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 R 96.9

$3.88 ₫100.3K

51.55%

Cappuccino

$2.50 R 41.18

$1.67 ₫43.3K

49.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.94

$0.61 ₫15.9K

108.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R 16.14

$0.32 ₫8,163

206.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

$1.33 ₫34.3K

124.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

$1.38 ₫35.8K

169.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.40

$1.51 ₫39.2K

-13.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 R 20.68

$1.20 ₫31.0K

4.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 R 36.76

$1.00 ₫25.9K

123.00%

Eggs

$3.11 R 51.2

$1.50 ₫38.9K

107.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.06 R 149

$12.85 ₫332.6K

-29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.92 R 114

$4.15 ₫107.4K

66.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.30 R 153

$9.06 ₫234.6K

2.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 R 30.25

$2.68 ₫69.3K

-31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 R 32.29

$1.11 ₫28.7K

76.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.67 R 27.45

$0.93 ₫24.2K

79.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 R 35.70

$1.41 ₫36.6K

53.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.81

$1.13 ₫29.3K

38.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 R 24.45

$1.02 ₫26.4K

45.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 R 21.41

$0.67 ₫17.3K

94.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.60

$0.53 ₫13.8K

113.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.60 R 59.3

$1.57 ₫40.7K

129.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

$7.53 ₫194.9K

-18.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

$0.83 ₫21.6K

66.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

$1.51 ₫39.0K

41.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.22 ₫5,663

581.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.8 R 1,001

$3.96 ₫102.6K

1434.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 R 9.71

$1.01 ₫26.0K

-41.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 R 24.65

$0.56 ₫14.5K

167.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.11 R 84.2

$3.84 ₫99.5K

33.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 R 25.50

$0.94 ₫24.4K

64.89%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.2K R 596.5K

$31.1K ₫805.1M

16.43%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.2K R 514.8K

$27.9K ₫721.9M

12.05%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$114 R 1,883

$77.3 ₫2.0M

47.99%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$28.91 R 476

$6.17 ₫159.7K

368.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 R 654

$7.99 ₫206.7K

397.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.01 R 808

$17.04 ₫441.1K

187.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

$4.93 ₫127.6K

122.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.15 R 151

$3.03 ₫78.5K

201.98%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$259 R 4,264

$116 ₫3.0M

124.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,794 R 111.9K

$16.9K ₫437.1M

-59.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 R 926

$45.85 ₫1.2M

22.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.41 R 534

$27.13 ₫702.3K

19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 R 1,987

$68.6 ₫1.8M

75.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 R 1,781

$80.5 ₫2.1M

34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,021 R 16.8K

$436 ₫11.3M

134.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 R 11.8K

$396 ₫10.3M

80.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 R 30.1K

$538 ₫13.9M

239.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 R 21.9K

$617 ₫16.0M

115.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,391 R 39.4K

$1,546 ₫40.0M

54.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 R 25.4K

$964 ₫25.0M

59.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,639 R 27.0K

$294 ₫7.6M

457.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

10.34

6.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hoi An: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Cape Town

$717 45.2%

Hoi An

$396 45.4% 44.7% $321

Groceries & Markets

Cape Town

$225 14.2%

Hoi An

$191 21.9% 15% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cape Town

$183 11.5%

Hoi An

$91 10.5% 50% $92

Eating Out

Cape Town

$176 11.1%

Hoi An

$63 7.3% 64% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Cape Town

$143 9%

Hoi An

$100 11.4% 30% $43

Getting Around

Cape Town

$75 4.7%

Hoi An

$8.6 1% 88.5% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Cape Town

$67 4.2%

Hoi An

$23 2.6% 65.7% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,021 in Cape Town versus $436 in Hoi An. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 458% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Cape Town versus $18.00 in Hoi An. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $225 vs $191 – making Hoi An the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🇻🇳 Hoi An

🕒 Local time

22:50 10:50 PM

03:50 3:50 AM

5 h ahead of Cape Town

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,740,026 Capital

120,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cape Town Hoi An 10,980 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Cape Town
Hoi An

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Cape Town vs Hoi An: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 81% more than Hoi An, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,379 per month in Cape Town and $1,311 in Hoi An. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hoi An, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,586 in Cape Town and $874 in Hoi An. That's a gap of about 81%.

Public transport costs about 1434% less in Hoi An. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hoi An, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Hoi An it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hoi An costs $874 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Hoi An. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.