Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Dong Hoi

For one person, living costs are similar in Hanoi and in Dong Hoi: $796 and $779 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
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Hanoi Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Hoi
Learn more

Dong Hoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$796

/mo nomad

Dong Hoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Dong Hoi

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 Dong Hoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $796 in Hanoi versus $779 in Dong Hoi.

Hanoi $796
Dong Hoi $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,239 in Hanoi versus $1,225 in Dong Hoi.

Hanoi $1,239
Dong Hoi $1,225

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,682 in Hanoi versus $1,671 in Dong Hoi.

Hanoi $1,682
Dong Hoi $1,671

Living in Hanoi is roughly 2% more expensive than in Dong Hoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hanoi 41% lower, Dong Hoi 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ₫53.8K

$2.06 ₫53.3K

0.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.16 ₫599.5K

$19.14 ₫495.5K

21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ₫115.4K

$3.53 ₫91.4K

26.35%

Cappuccino

$1.87 ₫48.5K

$1.03 ₫26.6K

81.55%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.32 ₫8,207

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,670

$0.35 ₫8,961

-5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$0.53 ₫13.6K

107.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ₫48.9K

$2.26 ₫58.6K

-16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₫39.8K

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-2.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.90 ₫23.3K

17.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-21.36%

Eggs

$1.44 ₫37.4K

$1.53 ₫39.5K

-5.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.4K

$13.16 ₫340.8K

-20.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.80 ₫98.5K

$3.40 ₫87.9K

11.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 ₫254.5K

$9.33 ₫241.6K

5.36%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 ₫89.8K

$2.63 ₫68.0K

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.7K

$1.17 ₫30.3K

-8.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$1.28 ₫33.2K

3.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₫30.0K

$1.58 ₫40.9K

-26.58%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$1.14 ₫29.5K

-20.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.9K

$1.30 ₫33.7K

-16.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 ₫13.8K

$1.00 ₫25.8K

-47.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$0.49 ₫12.6K

16.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.45 ₫37.4K

$1.56 ₫40.5K

-7.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.39 ₫320.9K

$7.76 ₫200.8K

59.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.82 ₫21.2K

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.08 ₫53.9K

-17.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.38 ₫9,744

7.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.21 ₫238.5K

$6.19 ₫160.2K

48.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.6K

$1.04 ₫26.9K

-26.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 ₫61.1K

$2.48 ₫64.3K

-4.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$0.90 ₫23.2K

3.33%

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

$31.2K ₫807.4M

$30.2K ₫782.1M

3.23%

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

$29.4K ₫761.8M

$27.9K ₫722.2M

5.48%

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

$87.2 ₫2.3M

$66.0 ₫1.7M

32.22%

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

$5.15 ₫133.5K

$6.21 ₫160.7K

-17.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.11 ₫235.9K

$8.22 ₫212.9K

10.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.70 ₫639.3K

$24.91 ₫644.9K

-0.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.58 ₫248.0K

$7.56 ₫195.7K

26.72%

Cinema Ticket

$4.53 ₫117.4K

$3.33 ₫86.2K

36.04%

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

$787 ₫20.4M

$160 ₫4.2M

390.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.2K ₫705.3M

$15.0K ₫388.1M

81.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.25 ₫1.3M

$46.26 ₫1.2M

6.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.22 ₫678.7K

$27.48 ₫711.3K

-4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 ₫2.2M

$100 ₫2.6M

-15.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.2 ₫2.0M

$82.1 ₫2.1M

-3.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 ₫10.7M

$403 ₫10.4M

2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 ₫7.2M

$299 ₫7.7M

-7.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 ₫22.2M

$729 ₫18.9M

17.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₫13.9M

$593 ₫15.3M

-9.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,258 ₫136.1M

$2,459 ₫63.7M

113.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 ₫73.7M

$1,128 ₫29.2M

152.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$515 ₫13.3M

$398 ₫10.3M

29.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

18.29%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 19, 2026

Last update for Dong Hoi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$277 34.8%

Dong Hoi

$299 38.3% 7.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$197 24.7%

Dong Hoi

$192 24.7% 2.2% $4.3

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$108 13.5%

Dong Hoi

$115 14.8% 6.9% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$101 12.7%

Dong Hoi

$80 10.3% 20.8% $21

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.2%

Dong Hoi

$49 6.3% 24.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$34 4.2%

Dong Hoi

$32 4.1% 6.5% $2.2

Getting Around

Hanoi

$15 1.8%

Dong Hoi

$12 1.5% 19.6% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Hanoi and $403 in Dong Hoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanoi pays 29% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Hanoi vs $19.00 in Dong Hoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $192 per month, with Dong Hoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇻🇳 Dong Hoi

🕒 Local time

18:38 6:38 PM

Same time as Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

91,601

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Dong Hoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanoi and Dong Hoi differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($796 vs $779 including rent). Dong Hoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 29% higher in Hanoi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Hanoi versus $403 in Dong Hoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $796 per month in Hanoi versus $779 in Dong Hoi – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dong Hoi runs roughly 49% less than in Hanoi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Dong Hoi 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, Hanoi and Dong Hoi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dong Hoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Hanoi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.