Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Kirkuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kirkuk: $545 a month against $801 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Kirkuk
Learn more

Kirkuk Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Kirkuk

🇮🇶 Iraq

$545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Kirkuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $801 in Hanoi versus $545 in Kirkuk.

Hanoi $801
Kirkuk $545

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $871 in Kirkuk.

Hanoi $1,246
Kirkuk $871

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,691 in Hanoi versus $1,197 in Kirkuk.

Hanoi $1,691
Kirkuk $1,197

Living in Hanoi is roughly 47% more expensive than in Kirkuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hanoi 41% lower, Kirkuk 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₫51.6K

$3.55 IQD 5,360

-43.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.34 ₫602.8K

$23.20 IQD 35.1K

0.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ₫113.8K

$5.25 IQD 7,928

-16.19%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ₫50.0K

$2.35 IQD 3,558

-17.87%

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

$0.48 ₫12.3K

$0.38 IQD 576

26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,615

$0.19 IQD 283

73.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$2.71 IQD 4,102

-60.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.6K

$3.32 IQD 5,010

-40.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$0.97 IQD 1,471

55.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$0.57 IQD 858

84.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$1.37 IQD 2,068

-41.61%

Eggs

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.27 IQD 1,913

14.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 ₫296.6K

$3.37 IQD 5,090

240.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ₫91.8K

$3.22 IQD 4,871

10.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 ₫260.9K

$11.21 IQD 16.9K

-9.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.2K

$0.74 IQD 1,121

320.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.0K

$0.79 IQD 1,196

27.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$0.86 IQD 1,294

54.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.64 IQD 964

64.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$0.49 IQD 736

85.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$0.48 IQD 722

139.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫14.1K

$0.56 IQD 844

-3.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.35 IQD 523

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$1.67 IQD 2,521

-17.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ₫305.3K

$11.67 IQD 17.6K

1.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$1.28 IQD 1,937

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.1K

$1.64 IQD 2,472

4.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$0.35 IQD 522

17.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.68 ₫275.8K

$19.84 IQD 30.0K

-46.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$1.93 IQD 2,914

-58.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.28 IQD 1,940

-56.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₫61.4K

$6.62 IQD 10.0K

-64.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.48 IQD 726

89.58%

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

$31.1K ₫804.0M

$16.2K IQD 24.5M

91.87%

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

$28.6K ₫738.6M

$16.4K IQD 24.8M

74.49%

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

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$51.8 IQD 78.3K

61.03%

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

$5.22 ₫134.9K

$19.86 IQD 30.0K

-73.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ₫226.8K

$38.46 IQD 58.1K

-77.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.23 ₫703.3K

$9.62 IQD 14.5K

183.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.64 ₫249.1K

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 ₫119.0K

$9.83 IQD 14.8K

-53.10%

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

$867 ₫22.4M

$147 IQD 222.9K

488.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K ₫715.1M

$3,309 IQD 5.0M

736.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.55 ₫1.2M

$25.85 IQD 39.1K

80.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.64 ₫688.1K

$16.19 IQD 24.5K

64.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$58.8 IQD 88.8K

41.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ₫2.0M

$29.49 IQD 44.6K

158.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₫11.1M

$167 IQD 252.8K

156.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₫7.4M

$80.1 IQD 121.1K

257.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 ₫22.6M

$195 IQD 294.5K

348.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 ₫14.2M

$198 IQD 298.5K

178.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,936 ₫127.5M

$501 IQD 757.5K

884.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,835 ₫73.2M

$262 IQD 395.8K

982.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₫13.2M

$387 IQD 584.6K

32.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

4.12

100.97%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Kirkuk: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$287 35.8%

Kirkuk

$80 14.7% 72% $207

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$195 24.3%

Kirkuk

$143 26.2% 26.7% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$105 13.1%

Kirkuk

$59 10.8% 44% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$97 12.2%

Kirkuk

$110 20.2% 13% $13

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.1%

Kirkuk

$95 17.4% 46.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.6%

Kirkuk

$29 5.4% 19.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Kirkuk

$30 5.4% 86.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Hanoi and $167 in Kirkuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanoi pays 32% 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 in Hanoi vs $23 in Kirkuk. Groceries flip the comparison at $195 vs $143, with Kirkuk cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇮🇶 Kirkuk

🕒 Local time

05:56 5:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

4 h behind Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

850,787

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, 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).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,682 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.95 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hanoi Kirkuk 6,130 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Kirkuk

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 Kirkuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $801 in Hanoi and $545 in Kirkuk, so Kirkuk is about 32% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 32% 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 $167 in Kirkuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $867 in Hanoi versus $147 in Kirkuk. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 46% less than in Kirkuk. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kirkuk 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kirkuk wins on affordability, Hanoi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.