Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dien Bien Phu and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu: $731 a month against $807 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $910 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dien Bien Phu
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Dien Bien Phu Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

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Dien Bien Phu

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$731

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dien Bien Phu 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 Dien Bien Phu and in Hanoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $731 in Dien Bien Phu versus $807 in Hanoi.

Dien Bien Phu $731
Hanoi $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,158 in Dien Bien Phu versus $1,246 in Hanoi.

Dien Bien Phu $1,158
Hanoi $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,584 in Dien Bien Phu versus $1,685 in Hanoi.

Dien Bien Phu $1,584
Hanoi $1,685

Living in Dien Bien Phu costs roughly 9% less than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dien Bien Phu 46% lower, Hanoi 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.80 ₫46.3K

$2.08 ₫53.6K

-13.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.48 ₫527.7K

$23.54 ₫606.4K

-13.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.70 ₫121.1K

$4.47 ₫115.1K

5.15%

Cappuccino

$1.42 ₫36.7K

$1.91 ₫49.3K

-25.65%

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

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$0.48 ₫12.5K

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₫9,011

$0.33 ₫8,510

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ₫24.4K

$1.14 ₫29.4K

-16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.4K

$1.96 ₫50.5K

-23.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 ₫36.7K

$1.54 ₫39.8K

-7.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.92 ₫23.6K

$1.01 ₫26.0K

-8.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$0.75 ₫19.3K

20.00%

Eggs

$1.70 ₫43.8K

$1.47 ₫37.8K

15.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 ₫324.8K

$11.47 ₫295.5K

9.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.20 ₫82.4K

$3.68 ₫94.9K

-13.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.55 ₫245.9K

$9.60 ₫247.4K

-0.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 ₫70.2K

$3.19 ₫82.3K

-14.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.3K

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.6K

$1.35 ₫34.8K

-8.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.3K

$1.12 ₫28.8K

-16.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.88 ₫22.8K

7.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.4K

$1.14 ₫29.3K

-10.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ₫13.0K

$0.54 ₫14.0K

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$0.57 ₫14.7K

-3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.57 ₫40.3K

$1.38 ₫35.6K

13.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.82 ₫175.7K

$10.73 ₫276.5K

-36.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₫23.7K

$0.88 ₫22.8K

4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₫41.7K

$1.60 ₫41.1K

1.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ₫7,567

$0.38 ₫9,747

-23.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.15 ₫158.5K

$10.66 ₫274.5K

-42.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.3K

$0.92 ₫23.7K

-18.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.4K

$0.60 ₫15.3K

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₫61.7K

$2.30 ₫59.2K

4.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 ₫26.8K

$0.91 ₫23.3K

14.29%

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

$33.2K ₫856.5M

$30.8K ₫793.8M

7.89%

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

$31.5K ₫810.3M

$29.1K ₫749.1M

8.17%

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

$89.5 ₫2.3M

$85.9 ₫2.2M

4.12%

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

$5.64 ₫145.3K

$5.00 ₫128.9K

12.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.52 ₫193.8K

$8.82 ₫227.2K

-14.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.92 ₫487.3K

$26.37 ₫679.4K

-28.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.73 ₫225.0K

$9.26 ₫238.5K

-5.72%

Cinema Ticket

$2.70 ₫69.5K

$4.70 ₫121.1K

-42.55%

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

$374 ₫9.6M

$850 ₫21.9M

-56.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K ₫367.7M

$28.9K ₫745.7M

-50.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.65 ₫1.2M

$46.17 ₫1.2M

-3.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.09 ₫749.4K

$28.06 ₫722.9K

3.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 ₫2.4M

$83.3 ₫2.1M

12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 ₫1.8M

$72.5 ₫1.9M

-1.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ₫11.9M

$435 ₫11.2M

6.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$293 ₫7.6M

-15.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 ₫17.4M

$873 ₫22.5M

-22.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 ₫13.5M

$547 ₫14.1M

-4.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,132 ₫54.9M

$5,160 ₫132.9M

-58.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 ₫29.2M

$2,912 ₫75.0M

-61.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 ₫13.4M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

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

Last update for Dien Bien Phu: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dien Bien Phu

$248 33.9%

Hanoi

$293 36.4% 18.5% $46

Groceries & Markets

Dien Bien Phu

$181 24.7%

Hanoi

$192 23.8% 6.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Dien Bien Phu

$107 14.7%

Hanoi

$104 12.8% 3.6% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dien Bien Phu

$103 14.1%

Hanoi

$100 12.4% 2.8% $2.9

Eating Out

Dien Bien Phu

$57 7.8%

Hanoi

$66 8.2% 15.8% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Dien Bien Phu

$24 3.3%

Hanoi

$36 4.4% 47.2% $11

Getting Around

Dien Bien Phu

$11 1.5%

Hanoi

$16 2% 42.8% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Dien Bien Phu and $435 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Dien Bien Phu vs $24 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $181 vs $192 per month, with Dien Bien Phu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dien Bien Phu

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

23:16 11:16 PM

Same time as Dien Bien Phu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,366

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Dien Bien Phu vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dien Bien Phu is about 9% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,096 in Dien Bien Phu and $1,210 in Hanoi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $464 in Dien Bien Phu versus $435 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Dien Bien Phu – a meal for two runs $20 versus $24 in Hanoi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $731 per month in Dien Bien Phu versus $807 in Hanoi – Dien Bien Phu is about 9% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Dien Bien Phu gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dien Bien Phu and Hanoi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.