Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Hai Phong

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $488 a month against $807 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
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Hai Phong Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$807

/mo nomad

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $807 in Hanoi versus $488 in Hai Phong.

Hanoi $807
Hai Phong $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $751 in Hai Phong.

Hanoi $1,246
Hai Phong $751

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,685 in Hanoi versus $1,014 in Hai Phong.

Hanoi $1,685
Hai Phong $1,014

Living in Hanoi is roughly 65% more expensive than in Hai Phong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hanoi 40% lower, Hai Phong 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ₫53.5K

$1.53 ₫39.4K

35.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.54 ₫604.5K

$19.34 ₫496.6K

21.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ₫114.7K

$4.23 ₫108.6K

5.67%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ₫49.1K

$1.86 ₫47.7K

2.69%

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

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$0.48 ₫12.2K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,483

$0.33 ₫8,550

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₫29.3K

$0.77 ₫19.8K

48.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.4K

$1.32 ₫33.9K

48.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₫39.7K

$1.03 ₫26.4K

49.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₫25.9K

$0.57 ₫14.5K

77.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₫19.3K

$0.76 ₫19.5K

-1.32%

Eggs

$1.47 ₫37.7K

$1.54 ₫39.5K

-4.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 ₫294.5K

$5.54 ₫142.3K

107.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫94.6K

$3.75 ₫96.4K

-1.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 ₫246.6K

$9.50 ₫243.9K

1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ₫82.0K

$3.08 ₫79.1K

3.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.2K

$0.94 ₫24.2K

8.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ₫34.7K

$1.31 ₫33.5K

3.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫28.7K

$0.93 ₫23.9K

20.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ₫22.7K

$0.95 ₫24.4K

-7.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.2K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫13.9K

$0.59 ₫15.1K

-8.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₫14.6K

$0.53 ₫13.6K

7.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.5K

$1.22 ₫31.2K

13.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 ₫275.7K

$7.73 ₫198.5K

38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.7K

$0.80 ₫20.5K

10.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₫41.0K

$0.95 ₫24.4K

68.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₫9,717

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 ₫273.7K

$5.68 ₫146.0K

87.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ₫23.6K

$0.45 ₫11.5K

104.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.3K

$0.30 ₫7,666

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 ₫59.0K

$1.90 ₫48.8K

21.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.3K

$0.85 ₫21.8K

7.06%

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

$30.8K ₫791.3M

$30.5K ₫782.2M

1.16%

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

$29.1K ₫746.8M

$29.2K ₫749.1M

-0.31%

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

$85.9 ₫2.2M

$58.3 ₫1.5M

47.38%

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

$5.00 ₫128.5K

$4.92 ₫126.3K

1.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 ₫226.5K

$8.56 ₫219.8K

3.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 ₫677.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.26 ₫237.8K

$7.54 ₫193.6K

22.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₫120.7K

$3.19 ₫81.9K

47.34%

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

$850 ₫21.8M

$157 ₫4.0M

441.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.9K ₫743.4M

$4,711 ₫121.0M

514.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.17 ₫1.2M

$15.39 ₫395.2K

200.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.06 ₫720.6K

$7.84 ₫201.3K

257.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 ₫2.1M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 ₫1.9M

$73.3 ₫1.9M

-1.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₫11.2M

$247 ₫6.3M

76.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₫7.5M

$109 ₫2.8M

169.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 ₫22.4M

$395 ₫10.1M

121.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ₫14.1M

$152 ₫3.9M

259.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,160 ₫132.5M

$1,343 ₫34.5M

284.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,912 ₫74.8M

$972 ₫25.0M

199.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 ₫13.4M

$690 ₫17.7M

-24.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

16.71%

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

Last update for Hanoi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Hai Phong: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$293 36.4%

Hai Phong

$109 22.3% 62.9% $185

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$192 23.8%

Hai Phong

$155 31.8% 19.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$104 12.8%

Hai Phong

$81 16.6% 21.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$100 12.4%

Hai Phong

$72 14.7% 28% $28

Eating Out

Hanoi

$66 8.2%

Hai Phong

$57 11.7% 13.5% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.4%

Hai Phong

$6.4 * 1.3% 82.2% $29

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Hai Phong

$7.6 * 1.6% 52.5% $8.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $435 in Hanoi and $247 in Hai Phong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hai Phong pays 32% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24 in Hanoi vs $19 in Hai Phong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $155 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🕒 Local time

14:50 2:50 PM

Same time as Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

2,105,000

💱 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

Hanoi Hai Phong 87 km

From you

Hanoi
Hai Phong

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 Hai Phong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $807 in Hanoi and $488 in Hai Phong, so Hai Phong is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 24% lower in Hanoi. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $435 in Hanoi versus $247 in Hai Phong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $807 per month in Hanoi versus $488 in Hai Phong – Hai Phong is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 47% less than in Hanoi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Hanoi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.