Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Bac Ninh

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $457 a month against $803 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
Learn more

Bac Ninh Living Index

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Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$803

/mo nomad

Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Bac Ninh

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

A single person spends $803 per month in Hanoi vs $457 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Hanoi $803
Bac Ninh $457

A couple spends around $1,251 per month in Hanoi vs $743 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Hanoi $1,251
Bac Ninh $743

A family of three spends $1,699 per month in Hanoi vs $1,028 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Hanoi $1,699
Bac Ninh $1,028

Hanoi costs about 76% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hanoi and Bac Ninh are more affordable than the global median – Hanoi 40% lower, Bac Ninh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫48.9K

$1.15 ₫29.5K

66.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.24 ₫594.9K

$23.01 ₫589.0K

1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ₫114.0K

$2.60 ₫66.7K

71.54%

Cappuccino

$1.96 ₫50.0K

$1.15 ₫29.6K

70.43%

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

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.26 ₫6,595

84.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,791

$0.22 ₫5,534

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.19 ₫30.4K

$0.72 ₫18.4K

65.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₫49.3K

$1.00 ₫25.7K

93.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ₫39.0K

$1.57 ₫40.1K

-3.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₫26.0K

$1.01 ₫25.9K

0.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₫20.9K

$0.78 ₫19.9K

3.85%

Eggs

$1.48 ₫38.0K

$1.49 ₫38.2K

-0.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 ₫302.0K

$11.72 ₫299.9K

0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫92.1K

$3.71 ₫95.1K

-2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 ₫248.8K

$9.70 ₫248.2K

0.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 ₫80.0K

$3.06 ₫78.3K

2.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.3K

$1.01 ₫25.9K

-1.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.37 ₫35.1K

$1.31 ₫33.7K

4.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫28.6K

$1.08 ₫27.6K

3.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$0.91 ₫23.3K

3.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ₫30.9K

$1.19 ₫30.5K

1.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 ₫14.0K

$0.54 ₫13.9K

1.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.52 ₫13.4K

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.40 ₫35.8K

$1.40 ₫36.0K

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 ₫272.3K

$11.04 ₫282.5K

-3.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₫23.6K

$0.86 ₫22.0K

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 ₫42.7K

$1.62 ₫41.4K

3.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.4K

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.07 ₫283.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 ₫22.9K

$0.90 ₫23.1K

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 ₫15.6K

$0.61 ₫15.5K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.40 ₫61.4K

$2.32 ₫59.5K

3.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.94 ₫24.0K

$0.90 ₫23.1K

4.44%

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

$31.4K ₫804.6M

$30.8K ₫787.2M

2.20%

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

$28.9K ₫739.9M

$29.5K ₫754.8M

-1.98%

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

$84.1 ₫2.2M

$84.7 ₫2.2M

-0.74%

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

$5.14 ₫131.7K

$5.12 ₫131.0K

0.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.72 ₫223.2K

$6.95 ₫177.8K

25.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.30 ₫673.2K

$11.93 ₫305.3K

120.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.98 ₫229.8K

$7.98 ₫204.2K

12.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.76 ₫121.9K

$3.21 ₫82.0K

48.29%

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

$869 ₫22.2M

$716 ₫18.3M

21.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.3K ₫751.0M

$12.8K ₫328.6M

128.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.93 ₫1.2M

$46.36 ₫1.2M

-0.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.78 ₫736.7K

$29.33 ₫750.7K

-1.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ₫2.1M

$83.8 ₫2.1M

-0.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.8 ₫1.9M

$74.8 ₫1.9M

1.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$447 ₫11.4M

$692 ₫17.7M

-35.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$289 ₫7.4M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 ₫22.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ₫14.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,346 ₫136.8M

$1,691 ₫43.3M

216.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,920 ₫74.7M

$792 ₫20.3M

268.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₫13.1M

$384 ₫9.8M

33.29%

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 Hanoi: November 8, 2026

Last update for Bac Ninh: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$289 36%

Bac Ninh

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$193 24.1%

Bac Ninh

$193 42.2% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$105 13.1%

Bac Ninh

$105 23.1% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$98 12.2%

Bac Ninh

$97 21.2% 1.2% $1.2

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.1%

Bac Ninh

$38 8.4% 41% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.5%

Bac Ninh

$18 4% 48.8% $17

Getting Around

Hanoi

$17 2.1%

Bac Ninh

$5.6 * 1.2% 66.5% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $447 in Hanoi versus $692 in Bac Ninh. 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 33% higher in Hanoi, 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 $23 in Hanoi versus $23 in Bac Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $193 – making Hanoi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

Same time as Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

288,766

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hanoi Bac Ninh 28 km

From you

Hanoi
Bac Ninh

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

Hanoi vs Bac Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanoi costs about 76% more than Bac Ninh, 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 $1,204 per month in Hanoi and $686 in Bac Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hanoi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $447 there versus $692 in Bac Ninh.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $803 in Hanoi and $457 in Bac Ninh. That makes Bac Ninh about 43% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $869 per month in Hanoi and $716 in Bac Ninh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Hanoi at $803. In Bac Ninh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hanoi it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Hanoi has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $457 in Bac Ninh to $803 in Hanoi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hanoi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.