Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hanoi and Semey

For one person, living is cheaper in Semey: $712 a month against $801 in Hanoi, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hanoi outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Semey
Learn more

Semey Living Index

Jump to prices

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$801

/mo nomad

Semey

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$712

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hanoi and in Semey

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $801 in Hanoi versus $712 in Semey.

Hanoi $801
Semey $712

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,246 in Hanoi versus $1,148 in Semey.

Hanoi $1,246
Semey $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,691 in Hanoi versus $1,584 in Semey.

Hanoi $1,691
Semey $1,584

Living in Hanoi is roughly 12% more expensive than in Semey, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hanoi 41% lower, Semey 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₫51.6K

$4.93 ₸2,235

-59.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.34 ₫602.1K

$21.82 ₸9,898

6.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ₫113.7K

$5.49 ₸2,491

-19.85%

Cappuccino

$1.93 ₫49.9K

$1.70 ₸771

13.53%

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

$0.48 ₫12.3K

$0.76 ₸345

-36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,605

$0.48 ₸216

-31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$0.91 ₸412

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 ₫50.6K

$1.35 ₸614

45.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$1.03 ₸469

46.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$0.37 ₸167

183.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 ₫20.8K

$1.86 ₸845

-56.99%

Eggs

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.53 ₸693

-4.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.48 ₫296.3K

$5.36 ₸2,432

114.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 ₫91.7K

$3.86 ₸1,751

-8.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.10 ₫260.6K

$5.43 ₸2,461

86.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.1K

$1.23 ₸559

152.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ₫26.0K

$1.65 ₸748

-38.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.3K

$1.72 ₸781

-22.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.1K

$1.69 ₸768

-37.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.91 ₫23.6K

$0.39 ₸176

133.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$0.60 ₸274

91.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.02 ₸461

-47.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.1K

$0.99 ₸448

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.37 ₫35.3K

$2.46 ₸1,116

-44.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.82 ₫304.9K

$7.24 ₸3,282

63.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$1.31 ₸596

-32.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.0K

$2.20 ₸998

-22.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₫10.5K

$0.25 ₸114

64.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.68 ₫275.4K

$15.69 ₸7,119

-31.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$1.29 ₸586

-37.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.14 ₸515

-50.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.38 ₫61.4K

$6.54 ₸2,968

-63.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.4K

$0.65 ₸293

40.00%

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

$31.1K ₫803.1M

$32.4K ₸14.7M

-3.84%

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

$28.6K ₫737.8M

$26.3K ₸11.9M

8.81%

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

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$33.66 ₸15.3K

148.01%

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

$5.22 ₫134.8K

$9.01 ₸4,088

-42.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.78 ₫226.5K

$18.84 ₸8,544

-53.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.23 ₫702.5K

$42.36 ₸19.2K

-35.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.64 ₫248.8K

$11.23 ₸5,095

-14.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 ₫118.9K

$4.39 ₸1,993

5.01%

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

$867 ₫22.4M

$132 ₸60.0K

555.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.7K ₫714.3M

$4,406 ₸2.0M

528.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.55 ₫1.2M

$28.90 ₸13.1K

61.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.64 ₫687.3K

$25.47 ₸11.6K

4.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.5 ₫2.2M

$100 ₸45.4K

-16.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ₫2.0M

$76.6 ₸34.7K

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₫11.1M

$339 ₸153.5K

26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₫7.4M

$229 ₸103.8K

25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$874 ₫22.6M

$611 ₸276.9K

43.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$549 ₫14.2M

$489 ₸221.6K

12.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,936 ₫127.4M

$1,205 ₸546.7K

309.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,835 ₫73.2M

$739 ₸335.4K

283.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$512 ₫13.2M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

19.25

-56.99%

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

Last update for Hanoi: October 24, 2026

Last update for Semey: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hanoi

$287 35.8%

Semey

$229 32.2% 20.2% $58

Groceries & Markets

Hanoi

$195 24.3%

Semey

$154 21.7% 20.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Hanoi

$105 13.1%

Semey

$104 14.6% 0.8% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hanoi

$97 12.2%

Semey

$62 8.6% 36.9% $36

Eating Out

Hanoi

$65 8.1%

Semey

$88 12.4% 36.3% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Hanoi

$36 4.6%

Semey

$51 7.2% 40.4% $15

Getting Around

Hanoi

$16 2%

Semey

$24 3.3% 49% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Hanoi and $339 in Semey. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Hanoi vs $22 in Semey for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $195 vs $154 per month, with Semey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🇰🇿 Semey

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

10:04 10:04 AM

2 h behind Hanoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,587,100 Capital

310,456

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 454 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.2 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.97 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hanoi Semey 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hanoi
Semey

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 Semey: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $801 in Hanoi and $712 in Semey, so Semey is about 11% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $1,201 in Hanoi and $1,068 in Semey to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $429 in Hanoi versus $339 in Semey. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 32% less than in Semey. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $867 in Hanoi versus $132 in Semey. 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 Semey 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.