Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $801 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Kandy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $801 in Hanoi versus $513 in Kandy.

Hanoi $801
Kandy $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $728 in Kandy.

Hanoi $1,246
Kandy $728

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,691 in Hanoi versus $943 in Kandy.

Hanoi $1,691
Kandy $943

Living in Hanoi is roughly 56% more expensive than in Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hanoi 41% lower, Kandy 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₫51.6K

$2.66 LKR 885

-24.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.34 ₫602.8K

$13.01 LKR 4,324

79.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ₫113.8K

$6.00 LKR 1,996

-26.67%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ₫50.0K

$1.90 LKR 632

1.58%

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

$0.48 ₫12.3K

$0.52 LKR 174

-7.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,615

$0.26 LKR 87.1

26.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.86 LKR 620

-43.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.6K

$2.80 LKR 931

-30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$1.15 LKR 382

31.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$0.52 LKR 174

101.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$0.77 LKR 255

3.90%

Eggs

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.71 LKR 568

-14.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 ₫296.6K

$5.14 LKR 1,708

123.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ₫91.8K

$4.25 LKR 1,412

-16.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 ₫260.9K

$6.87 LKR 2,285

47.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.2K

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.0K

$0.84 LKR 280

20.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$1.73 LKR 574

-23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.29 LKR 429

-18.60%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$1.02 LKR 339

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$0.83 LKR 277

38.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫14.1K

$0.43 LKR 144

25.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.42 LKR 140

30.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-82.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ₫305.3K

$11.28 LKR 3,751

4.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$1.93 LKR 643

-54.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.1K

$2.08 LKR 691

-17.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$0.16 LKR 53.3

156.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.68 ₫275.8K

$4.38 LKR 1,457

143.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$0.41 LKR 136

95.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.35 LKR 116

60.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₫61.4K

$0.47 LKR 156

406.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.15 LKR 383

-20.87%

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

$31.1K ₫804.0M

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

122.72%

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

$28.6K ₫738.6M

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-22.18%

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

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

41.47%

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

$5.22 ₫134.9K

$3.86 LKR 1,282

35.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ₫226.8K

$12.72 LKR 4,227

-30.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.23 ₫703.3K

$10.85 LKR 3,606

150.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.64 ₫249.1K

$6.80 LKR 2,262

41.76%

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 ₫119.0K

$2.74 LKR 909

68.25%

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

$867 ₫22.4M

$21.65 LKR 7,199

3905.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K ₫715.1M

$304 LKR 101.0K

9014.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.55 ₫1.2M

$18.28 LKR 6,078

154.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.64 ₫688.1K

$10.15 LKR 3,375

162.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ₫2.0M

$26.56 LKR 8,831

187.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₫11.1M

$172 LKR 57.2K

149.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₫7.4M

$113 LKR 37.5K

154.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 ₫22.6M

$172 LKR 57.2K

407.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 ₫14.2M

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

486.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,936 ₫127.5M

$397 LKR 131.9K

1143.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,835 ₫73.2M

$400 LKR 133.0K

608.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₫13.2M

$262 LKR 86.9K

95.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

-31.00%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$287 35.8%

Kandy

$113 22% 60.6% $174

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$195 24.3%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 14.8% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$105 13.1%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 47.3% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$97 12.2%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 22.5% $22

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.1%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 23.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.6%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 55.2% $20

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 54.8% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Hanoi and $172 in Kandy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanoi pays 96% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Hanoi vs $13 in Kandy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $166 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

04:14 4:14 AM

02:44 2:44 AM

1 h 30 min behind Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

125,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hanoi Kandy 3,110 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $801 in Hanoi and $513 in Kandy, so Kandy is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 96% 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: $429 in Hanoi versus $172 in Kandy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 59% less than in Hanoi. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $867 in Hanoi versus $22 in Kandy. 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 Kandy gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Hanoi, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Hanoi and Kandy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Hanoi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.