Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $807 a month against $1,692 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
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Hanoi Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$807

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Medellin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $807 in Hanoi versus $1,692 in Medellin.

Hanoi $807
Medellin $1,692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $2,471 in Medellin.

Hanoi $1,246
Medellin $2,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,685 in Hanoi versus $3,249 in Medellin.

Hanoi $1,685
Medellin $3,249

Living in Hanoi costs roughly 52% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hanoi is 40% below, Medellin is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.08 ₫53.5K

$8.34 COP 26.8K

-75.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.54 ₫605.0K

$46.53 COP 149.7K

-49.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.47 ₫114.8K

$9.47 COP 30.5K

-52.80%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ₫49.2K

$3.13 COP 10.1K

-38.98%

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

$0.48 ₫12.4K

$1.77 COP 5,681

-72.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,490

$1.42 COP 4,582

-76.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$3.15 COP 10.1K

-63.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.4K

$5.70 COP 18.3K

-65.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₫39.7K

$1.53 COP 4,930

0.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 ₫25.9K

$2.29 COP 7,370

-55.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₫19.3K

$1.94 COP 6,257

-61.34%

Eggs

$1.47 ₫37.7K

$3.07 COP 9,864

-52.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 ₫294.7K

$9.99 COP 32.1K

14.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫94.6K

$10.45 COP 33.6K

-64.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.60 ₫246.8K

$13.96 COP 44.9K

-31.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 ₫82.1K

$4.05 COP 13.0K

-21.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 ₫26.2K

$1.53 COP 4,916

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ₫34.7K

$2.10 COP 6,769

-35.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 ₫28.7K

$2.29 COP 7,378

-51.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.88 ₫22.7K

$2.11 COP 6,785

-58.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.3K

$1.71 COP 5,498

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.17 COP 3,764

-53.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ₫14.7K

$1.58 COP 5,083

-63.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.38 ₫35.5K

$3.91 COP 12.6K

-64.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.73 ₫275.9K

$14.04 COP 45.2K

-23.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.7K

$1.76 COP 5,667

-50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₫41.0K

$2.71 COP 8,724

-40.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₫9,724

$1.18 COP 3,795

-67.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 ₫273.9K

$76.3 COP 245.4K

-86.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 ₫23.6K

$1.81 COP 5,812

-49.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.3K

$2.13 COP 6,849

-71.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 ₫59.0K

$8.13 COP 26.2K

-71.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.3K

$1.28 COP 4,102

-28.91%

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

$30.8K ₫791.9M

$34.4K COP 110.8M

-10.53%

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

$29.1K ₫747.3M

$34.1K COP 109.8M

-14.80%

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

$85.9 ₫2.2M

$178 COP 571.7K

-51.66%

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

$5.00 ₫128.6K

$13.89 COP 44.7K

-64.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 ₫226.6K

$30.74 COP 98.9K

-71.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.37 ₫677.8K

$41.94 COP 134.9K

-37.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.26 ₫237.9K

$16.80 COP 54.0K

-44.88%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₫120.8K

$7.47 COP 24.0K

-37.08%

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

$850 ₫21.8M

$790 COP 2.5M

7.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.9K ₫743.9M

$12.3K COP 39.6M

135.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.17 ₫1.2M

$86.3 COP 277.7K

-46.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.06 ₫721.2K

$59.3 COP 190.6K

-52.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.3 ₫2.1M

$138 COP 445.0K

-39.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.5 ₫1.9M

$98.8 COP 317.8K

-26.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ₫11.2M

$1,341 COP 4.3M

-67.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$293 ₫7.5M

$667 COP 2.1M

-56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$873 ₫22.4M

$1,976 COP 6.4M

-55.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ₫14.1M

$1,033 COP 3.3M

-47.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,160 ₫132.6M

$4,098 COP 13.2M

25.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,912 ₫74.8M

$1,940 COP 6.2M

50.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 ₫13.4M

$646 COP 2.1M

-19.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.17

10.94

-25.32%

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

Last update for Hanoi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$293 36.4%

Medellin

$667 39.4% 128% $374

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$192 23.8%

Medellin

$307 18.2% 60% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$104 12.8%

Medellin

$172 10.2% 66.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$100 12.4%

Medellin

$222 13.1% 123% $123

Eating Out

Hanoi

$66 8.2%

Medellin

$173 10.2% 162% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.4%

Medellin

$57 3.4% 59% $21

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Medellin

$93 5.5% 482% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $435 in Hanoi and $1,341 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 24% 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: $24 in Hanoi vs $47 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $307 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

16:08 4:08 PM

04:08 4:08 AM

12 h behind Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.11 USD

10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 25,699 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,862 VND (100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3,217 COP (10,000 COP = 3.11 USD). 1 EUR = 3,613 COP (10,000 COP = 2.77 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hanoi Medellin 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $807 in Hanoi and $1,692 in Medellin, so Hanoi is about 52% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 19% 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 $1,341 in Medellin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 86% less than in Medellin. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $850 in Hanoi versus $790 in Medellin. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $807 in Hanoi versus $1,692 in Medellin, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Medellin. The gap between the two cities makes Hanoi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Hanoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.