Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $794 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$794

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $794 per month in Hanoi vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hanoi $794
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,229 per month in Hanoi vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hanoi $1,229
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,664 per month in Hanoi vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hanoi $1,664
Chiang Mai $1,914

Hanoi is about 15% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hanoi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hanoi 41% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.11 ₫54.6K

$2.26 ฿75.4

-6.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.20 ₫600.7K

$19.18 ฿641

20.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ₫115.6K

$5.59 ฿187

-20.04%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₫47.4K

$1.72 ฿57.6

6.40%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.64 ฿21.54

-20.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₫7,638

$0.33 ฿11.18

-9.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ₫28.6K

$2.36 ฿78.7

-53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₫50.4K

$3.90 ฿130

-50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.05 ฿68.6

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 ₫27.6K

$1.40 ฿46.70

-23.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₫21.1K

$1.28 ฿42.89

-35.94%

Eggs

$1.48 ₫38.4K

$2.25 ฿75.3

-34.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.36 ₫268.2K

$16.94 ฿566

-38.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ₫94.2K

$2.74 ฿91.6

32.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.85 ₫255.1K

$9.36 ฿313

5.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 ₫84.6K

$2.40 ฿80.3

36.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.01 ฿33.92

5.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.8K

$1.61 ฿53.9

-14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.5K

$1.52 ฿50.7

-27.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 ₫25.3K

$1.28 ฿42.90

-23.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$1.11 ฿37.22

-2.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ₫13.8K

$0.72 ฿24.09

-26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.36 ₫35.2K

$4.33 ฿145

-68.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$17.73 ฿593

-28.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$1.63 ฿54.4

-44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$2.85 ฿95.3

-42.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.85 ฿28.31

-51.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.45 ₫244.5K

$53.9 ฿1,801

-82.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.17 ฿39.18

-36.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.57 ฿19.00

-1.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.27 ₫58.7K

$2.37 ฿79.2

-4.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.7K

$1.45 ฿48.32

-34.48%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

48.29%

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

$29.8K ₫770.4M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

12.23%

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

$86.5 ₫2.2M

$62.3 ฿2,083

38.70%

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

$5.16 ₫133.6K

$12.27 ฿410

-57.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.13 ₫236.3K

$19.97 ฿668

-54.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.26 ₫628.2K

$37.91 ฿1,267

-36.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.21 ₫238.4K

$3.76 ฿126

144.95%

Cinema Ticket

$4.22 ₫109.2K

$6.71 ฿224

-37.11%

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

$779 ₫20.2M

$797 ฿26.6K

-2.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K ₫712.4M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

85.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.25 ₫1.2M

$53.3 ฿1,780

-9.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.18 ₫677.7K

$25.05 ฿837

4.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.7 ₫2.1M

$91.6 ฿3,062

-9.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.5 ₫2.0M

$73.5 ฿2,455

6.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ₫10.4M

$464 ฿15.5K

-13.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₫7.3M

$305 ฿10.2K

-8.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 ₫22.1M

$915 ฿30.6K

-6.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$530 ₫13.7M

$552 ฿18.5K

-4.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,117 ₫132.5M

$1,912 ฿63.9K

167.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,859 ₫74.0M

$1,438 ฿48.1K

98.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$528 ₫13.7M

$595 ฿19.9K

-11.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

5.57

48.65%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$280 35.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 8.7% $24

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$194 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 22.5% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$106 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3.3% $3.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$101 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 6.1% $6.2

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 21.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$33 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 57% $19

Getting Around

Hanoi

$15 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 319% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Hanoi versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 13% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $23.00 in Hanoi versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Hanoi vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Hanoi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

Same time as Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hanoi Chiang Mai 760 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Hanoi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,190 per month in Hanoi and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $779 per month in Hanoi and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Hanoi, where all-in costs run around $794, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Hanoi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hanoi costs $794 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Hanoi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.