Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Mexico City

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $801 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
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Hanoi Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Mexico City

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $801 in Hanoi versus $1,608 in Mexico City.

Hanoi $801
Mexico City $1,608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $2,549 in Mexico City.

Hanoi $1,246
Mexico City $2,549

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,691 in Hanoi versus $3,490 in Mexico City.

Hanoi $1,691
Mexico City $3,490

Living in Hanoi costs roughly 50% less than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hanoi is 41% below, Mexico City is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₫51.6K

$10.62 MX$199

-81.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.34 ₫602.1K

$48.35 MX$908

-51.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ₫113.7K

$10.35 MX$194

-57.49%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ₫49.9K

$3.69 MX$69.3

-47.70%

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

$0.48 ₫12.3K

$1.67 MX$31.29

-71.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,605

$1.27 MX$23.76

-74.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$3.19 MX$59.9

-66.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.6K

$5.31 MX$99.6

-63.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$1.72 MX$32.38

-12.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$3.04 MX$57.1

-65.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$1.94 MX$36.44

-58.76%

Eggs

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$2.89 MX$54.2

-49.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 ₫296.3K

$10.97 MX$206

4.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ₫91.7K

$9.25 MX$174

-61.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 ₫260.6K

$15.13 MX$284

-33.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.1K

$3.05 MX$57.2

1.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.0K

$1.94 MX$36.45

-47.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.3K

$2.03 MX$38.02

-34.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$2.31 MX$43.46

-54.55%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$2.04 MX$38.21

-55.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$1.80 MX$33.79

-36.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.48 MX$27.77

-63.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$1.27 MX$23.80

-56.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$5.30 MX$99.6

-74.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ₫304.9K

$16.10 MX$302

-26.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$1.98 MX$37.23

-55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.0K

$4.25 MX$79.8

-59.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$0.31 MX$5.73

32.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.68 ₫275.4K

$19.73 MX$371

-45.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$1.84 MX$34.50

-56.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.53 MX$10.02

5.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₫61.4K

$5.30 MX$99.4

-55.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$1.51 MX$28.36

-39.74%

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

$31.1K ₫803.1M

$21.8K MX$408.4K

43.08%

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

$28.6K ₫737.8M

$24.0K MX$450.3K

19.21%

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

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$63.0 MX$1,182

32.55%

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

$5.22 ₫134.8K

$27.39 MX$514

-80.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ₫226.5K

$35.67 MX$670

-75.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.23 ₫702.5K

$58.9 MX$1,107

-53.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.64 ₫248.8K

$23.64 MX$444

-59.22%

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 ₫118.9K

$6.40 MX$120

-27.97%

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

$867 ₫22.4M

$432 MX$8,103

100.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K ₫714.3M

$11.4K MX$214.5K

142.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.55 ₫1.2M

$68.2 MX$1,281

-31.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.64 ₫687.3K

$53.1 MX$997

-49.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$108 MX$2,023

-22.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ₫2.0M

$117 MX$2,202

-34.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₫11.1M

$1,113 MX$20.9K

-61.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₫7.4M

$710 MX$13.3K

-59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 ₫22.6M

$2,588 MX$48.6K

-66.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 ₫14.2M

$1,406 MX$26.4K

-60.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,936 ₫127.4M

$3,631 MX$68.2K

35.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,835 ₫73.2M

$2,135 MX$40.1K

32.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₫13.2M

$946 MX$17.8K

-45.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

11.35

-27.05%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$287 35.8%

Mexico City

$710 44.2% 148% $424

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$195 24.3%

Mexico City

$320 19.9% 64.2% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$105 13.1%

Mexico City

$156 9.7% 48.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$97 12.2%

Mexico City

$126 7.8% 29.3% $29

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.1%

Mexico City

$199 12.4% 206% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.6%

Mexico City

$72 4.5% 96.9% $35

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Mexico City

$25 1.6% 60.3% $9.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Hanoi and $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 85% 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 $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $320 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🕒 Local time

22:04 10:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

13 h behind Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

9,209,944 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Hanoi Mexico City 14,760 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Mexico City

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 Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $801 in Hanoi and $1,608 in Mexico City, so Hanoi is about 50% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 46% 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: $429 in Hanoi versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $867 in Hanoi versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $801 in Hanoi versus $1,608 in Mexico City, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. 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 50% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.