Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chongqing and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chongqing: $722 a month against $796 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $890 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hanoi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chongqing
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Chongqing Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

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Chongqing

🇨🇳 China

$722

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chongqing and in Hanoi

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

A single person spends $722 per month in Chongqing vs $796 in Hanoi, rent included.

Chongqing $722
Hanoi $796

A couple spends around $1,175 per month in Chongqing vs $1,239 in Hanoi, rent included.

Chongqing $1,175
Hanoi $1,239

A family of three spends $1,629 per month in Chongqing vs $1,682 in Hanoi, rent included.

Chongqing $1,629
Hanoi $1,682

Chongqing is about 9% cheaper than Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chongqing and Hanoi are more affordable than the global median – Chongqing 47% lower, Hanoi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.64 ¥17.62

$2.08 ₫53.8K

26.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.26 ¥149

$23.16 ₫599.5K

-3.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.83 ¥32.27

$4.46 ₫115.4K

8.30%

Cappuccino

$2.07 ¥13.81

$1.87 ₫48.5K

10.70%

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

$0.46 ¥3.11

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.33 ₫8,670

-6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.15

$1.10 ₫28.4K

10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.84

$1.89 ₫48.9K

-6.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 ¥13.44

$1.54 ₫39.8K

30.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ¥11.07

$1.06 ₫27.5K

56.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.81 ₫21.1K

-24.69%

Eggs

$2.25 ¥15.04

$1.44 ₫37.4K

56.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.76 ¥119

$10.44 ₫270.4K

70.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ¥22.11

$3.80 ₫98.5K

-12.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.03 ¥67.1

$9.83 ₫254.5K

2.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥10.00

$3.47 ₫89.8K

-57.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.57

$1.07 ₫27.7K

19.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.26

$1.33 ₫34.4K

-7.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ¥8.07

$1.16 ₫30.0K

4.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.91 ₫23.6K

-32.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.08 ₫27.9K

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ¥6.02

$0.53 ₫13.8K

69.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.12

$0.57 ₫14.7K

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.32

$1.45 ₫37.4K

109.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.98 ¥60.1

$12.39 ₫320.9K

-27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ¥11.55

$1.71 ₫44.4K

1.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.41 ₫10.6K

-12.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.52 ¥151

$9.21 ₫238.5K

144.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$0.76 ₫19.6K

92.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.59 ₫15.3K

-47.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ¥19.46

$2.36 ₫61.1K

23.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$0.93 ₫24.1K

41.94%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$31.2K ₫807.4M

-37.73%

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

$17.2K ¥115.0K

$29.4K ₫761.8M

-41.56%

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

$45.07 ¥301

$87.2 ₫2.3M

-48.31%

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

$7.26 ¥48.52

$5.15 ₫133.5K

40.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.19 ¥48.09

$9.11 ₫235.9K

-21.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.49 ¥331

$24.70 ₫639.3K

100.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.40 ¥69.6

$9.58 ₫248.0K

8.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.95 ¥39.81

$4.53 ₫117.4K

31.35%

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

$289 ¥1,929

$787 ₫20.4M

-63.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.1K ¥167.8K

$27.2K ₫705.3M

-7.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.99 ¥267

$49.25 ₫1.3M

-18.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.64 ¥198

$26.22 ₫678.7K

13.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.0 ¥441

$84.9 ₫2.2M

-22.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.4 ¥430

$79.2 ₫2.0M

-18.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$426 ¥2,851

$414 ₫10.7M

2.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,313

$277 ₫7.2M

-29.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$894 ¥5,977

$858 ₫22.2M

4.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$422 ¥2,823

$535 ₫13.9M

-21.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,741 ¥18.3K

$5,258 ₫136.1M

-47.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,741 ¥11.6K

$2,847 ₫73.7M

-38.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 ¥7,371

$515 ₫13.3M

114.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.34

8.28

-59.66%

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

Last update for Chongqing: October 17, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chongqing

$214 29.7%

Hanoi

$197 24.7% 8.2% $18

Accommodation & Living

Chongqing

$196 27.2%

Hanoi

$277 34.8% 41.1% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chongqing

$90 12.5%

Hanoi

$108 13.5% 19.8% $18

Eating Out

Chongqing

$73 10.1%

Hanoi

$65 8.2% 10.9% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Chongqing

$61 8.5%

Hanoi

$34 4.2% 45% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chongqing

$60 8.3%

Hanoi

$101 12.7% 70.5% $42

Getting Around

Chongqing

$27 3.7%

Hanoi

$15 1.8% 46% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $426 in Chongqing versus $414 in Hanoi. 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 114% higher in Chongqing, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chongqing versus $23.00 in Hanoi. Groceries tell a different story – $214 in Chongqing vs $197 in Hanoi – so Hanoi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chongqing

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

22:20 10:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h behind Chongqing

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,564,449

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 21, 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chongqing Hanoi 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chongqing
Hanoi

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

Chongqing vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hanoi is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Chongqing and $1,194 in Hanoi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $289 per month in Chongqing and $787 in Hanoi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Hanoi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $722 in Chongqing and $796 in Hanoi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chongqing – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Chongqing. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hanoi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.