Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $794 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
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Hanoi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Hanoi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Hanoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $794 in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Hanoi $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,229 in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Hanoi $1,229

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,664 in Hanoi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Hanoi $1,664

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 8% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Hanoi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.11 ₫54.6K

-9.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$23.20 ₫600.7K

-1.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.47 ₫115.6K

1.57%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.83 ₫47.4K

1.09%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.51 ₫13.3K

9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.30 ₫7,638

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.10 ₫28.6K

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.95 ₫50.4K

-11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

8.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.07 ₫27.6K

3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.82 ₫21.1K

21.95%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.48 ₫38.4K

12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$10.36 ₫268.2K

16.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.64 ₫94.2K

1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.85 ₫255.1K

3.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.27 ₫84.6K

-9.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.07 ₫27.8K

15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.38 ₫35.8K

13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.10 ₫28.5K

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.98 ₫25.3K

25.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.08 ₫27.9K

6.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.53 ₫13.8K

39.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.52 ₫13.5K

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.36 ₫35.2K

-8.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$12.60 ₫326.2K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.90 ₫23.3K

6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.65 ₫42.8K

-7.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.41 ₫10.6K

-36.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$9.45 ₫244.5K

21.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.74 ₫19.1K

1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

19.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.27 ₫58.7K

33.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.95 ₫24.7K

1.05%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$30.4K ₫786.1M

2.32%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$29.8K ₫770.4M

2.02%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$86.5 ₫2.2M

17.96%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$5.16 ₫133.6K

14.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$9.13 ₫236.3K

14.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$24.26 ₫628.2K

5.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$9.21 ₫238.4K

29.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.22 ₫109.2K

-16.35%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$779 ₫20.2M

-43.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$27.5K ₫712.4M

-15.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$48.25 ₫1.2M

9.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$26.18 ₫677.7K

30.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$82.7 ₫2.1M

9.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$78.5 ₫2.0M

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$403 ₫10.4M

46.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$280 ₫7.3M

6.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$852 ₫22.1M

51.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$530 ₫13.7M

34.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$5,117 ₫132.5M

-8.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$2,859 ₫74.0M

-33.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$528 ₫13.7M

-7.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.28

4.35%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Hanoi

$280 35.3% 5.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Hanoi

$194 24.5% 6.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Hanoi

$106 13.4% 13.4% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Hanoi

$101 12.7% 14.9% $18

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Hanoi

$65 8.2% 2.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Hanoi

$33 4.1% 0.3% $0.1

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Hanoi

$15 1.9% 12.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $403 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanoi pays 8% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $23.00 in Hanoi. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $194, with Hanoi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

20:15 8:15 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Hanoi 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $794 including rent). Hanoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 8% 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $403 in Hanoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hanoi runs roughly 22% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $779 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $794 in Hanoi versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanoi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Hanoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.