Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha Long Bay and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long Bay: $769 a month against $807 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $460 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long Bay
Learn more

Ha Long Bay Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Ha Long Bay

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$769

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ha Long Bay 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 Ha Long Bay and in Hanoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Ha Long Bay versus $807 in Hanoi.

Ha Long Bay $769
Hanoi $807

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,240 in Ha Long Bay versus $1,246 in Hanoi.

Ha Long Bay $1,240
Hanoi $1,246

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,711 in Ha Long Bay versus $1,685 in Hanoi.

Ha Long Bay $1,711
Hanoi $1,685

Living in Ha Long Bay costs roughly 5% less than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ha Long Bay 43% lower, Hanoi 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 ₫51.0K

$2.08 ₫53.5K

-4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.69 ₫505.6K

$23.54 ₫604.5K

-16.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.38 ₫112.5K

$4.47 ₫114.7K

-2.01%

Cappuccino

$1.61 ₫41.4K

$1.91 ₫49.1K

-15.71%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.48 ₫12.4K

-14.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₫8,977

$0.33 ₫8,483

6.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ₫22.3K

$1.14 ₫29.3K

-23.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ₫36.1K

$1.96 ₫50.4K

-28.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ₫38.6K

$1.54 ₫39.7K

-2.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₫24.9K

$1.01 ₫25.9K

-3.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.72 ₫18.5K

$0.75 ₫19.3K

-4.00%

Eggs

$1.12 ₫28.7K

$1.47 ₫37.7K

-23.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.48 ₫320.4K

$11.47 ₫294.5K

8.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.73 ₫95.8K

$3.68 ₫94.6K

1.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₫237.4K

$9.60 ₫246.6K

-3.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ₫73.4K

$3.19 ₫82.0K

-10.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.3K

$1.02 ₫26.2K

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.4K

$1.35 ₫34.7K

-0.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.6K

$1.12 ₫28.7K

-0.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.88 ₫22.7K

9.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$1.14 ₫29.2K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 ₫13.9K

3.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.57 ₫14.6K

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.5K

Wine (Bottle)

$7.97 ₫204.6K

$10.73 ₫275.7K

-25.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.0K

$0.88 ₫22.7K

1.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₫39.6K

$1.60 ₫41.0K

-3.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫7,888

$0.38 ₫9,717

-18.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.32 ₫187.9K

$10.66 ₫273.7K

-31.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$0.92 ₫23.6K

-13.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.5K

$0.60 ₫15.3K

6.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.43 ₫62.3K

$2.30 ₫59.0K

5.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₫22.0K

$0.91 ₫23.3K

-5.49%

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

$32.2K ₫826.5M

$30.8K ₫791.3M

4.45%

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

$30.6K ₫787.1M

$29.1K ₫746.8M

5.39%

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

$67.3 ₫1.7M

$85.9 ₫2.2M

-21.73%

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

$5.13 ₫131.8K

$5.00 ₫128.5K

2.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.78 ₫251.1K

$8.82 ₫226.5K

10.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.36 ₫522.7K

$26.37 ₫677.3K

-22.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.47 ₫217.6K

$9.26 ₫237.8K

-8.53%

Cinema Ticket

$3.26 ₫83.8K

$4.70 ₫120.7K

-30.64%

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

$352 ₫9.1M

$850 ₫21.8M

-58.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ₫385.6M

$28.9K ₫743.4M

-48.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.38 ₫1.2M

$46.17 ₫1.2M

4.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.96 ₫769.3K

$28.06 ₫720.6K

6.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.6 ₫2.2M

$83.3 ₫2.1M

5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 ₫2.1M

$72.5 ₫1.9M

13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 ₫10.5M

$435 ₫11.2M

-5.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₫7.5M

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 ₫14.5M

$873 ₫22.4M

-35.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 ₫16.6M

$547 ₫14.1M

18.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,212 ₫56.8M

$5,160 ₫132.5M

-57.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,462 ₫37.5M

$2,912 ₫74.8M

-49.79%

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 Ha Long Bay: 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

Ha Long Bay

$293 38.1%

Hanoi

$293 36.4% 0% $0.1

Groceries & Markets

Ha Long Bay

$184 24%

Hanoi

$192 23.8% 4.3% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

Ha Long Bay

$112 14.5%

Hanoi

$104 12.8% 7.2% $8.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha Long Bay

$82 10.7%

Hanoi

$100 12.4% 21.4% $18

Eating Out

Ha Long Bay

$59 7.6%

Hanoi

$66 8.2% 12.5% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ha Long Bay

$27 3.5%

Hanoi

$36 4.4% 33.1% $8.9

Getting Around

Ha Long Bay

$13 1.6%

Hanoi

$16 2% 28% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $409 in Ha Long Bay and $435 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $20 in Ha Long Bay vs $24 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $184 vs $192 per month, with Ha Long Bay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ha Long Bay

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

17:49 5:49 PM

Same time as Ha Long Bay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,054

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ha Long Bay Hanoi 130 km

From you

Ha Long Bay
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

Ha Long Bay vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ha Long Bay is about 5% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,154 in Ha Long Bay 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: $409 in Ha Long Bay versus $435 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Ha Long Bay runs roughly 31% less than in Hanoi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $352 in Ha Long Bay versus $850 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Ha Long Bay 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, Ha Long Bay and Hanoi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ha Long Bay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Hanoi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.