Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hong Kong and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $805 a month against $2,984 in Hong Kong, rent and utilities included – about $26,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Hong Kong
Learn more

Hong Kong Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
Learn more

Hanoi Living Index

Jump to prices

Hong Kong

🇭🇰 Hong Kong (China)

$2,984

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$805

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hong Kong 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 Hong Kong and in Hanoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,984 in Hong Kong versus $805 in Hanoi.

Hong Kong $2,984
Hanoi $805

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,558 in Hong Kong versus $1,254 in Hanoi.

Hong Kong $4,558
Hanoi $1,254

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,132 in Hong Kong versus $1,704 in Hanoi.

Hong Kong $6,132
Hanoi $1,704

Living in Hong Kong is roughly 271% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Hong Kong is 123% above, Hanoi is 40% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.46 HK$66.4

$2.09 ₫54.0K

304.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.2 HK$496

$23.19 ₫600.5K

172.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.20 HK$48.66

$4.49 ₫116.3K

38.08%

Cappuccino

$4.90 HK$38.42

$1.87 ₫48.3K

162.03%

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

$1.27 HK$10.01

$0.47 ₫12.3K

170.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 HK$8.31

$0.30 ₫7,658

253.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.68 HK$60.3

$1.10 ₫28.4K

598.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 HK$49.24

$1.94 ₫50.3K

223.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 HK$22.45

$1.48 ₫38.3K

93.24%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 HK$19.10

$1.10 ₫28.4K

120.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 HK$17.09

$0.75 ₫19.4K

190.67%

Eggs

$3.54 HK$27.80

$1.50 ₫38.9K

136.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.12 HK$197

$10.36 ₫268.1K

142.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.89 HK$69.8

$3.79 ₫98.2K

134.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 HK$138

$9.91 ₫256.4K

77.90%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 HK$32.23

$3.37 ₫87.2K

21.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 HK$21.32

$1.03 ₫26.8K

164.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.59 HK$36.05

$1.31 ₫33.9K

250.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 HK$31.52

$1.14 ₫29.5K

252.63%

Potato (1kg)

$3.25 HK$25.50

$0.99 ₫25.5K

228.28%

Onion (1kg)

$3.27 HK$25.70

$1.08 ₫28.1K

202.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 HK$12.54

$0.57 ₫14.8K

180.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 HK$13.56

$0.55 ₫14.1K

214.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.14 HK$103

$1.44 ₫37.2K

812.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.59 HK$130

$12.74 ₫329.9K

30.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 HK$15.80

$0.89 ₫23.1K

125.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 HK$17.13

$1.72 ₫44.6K

26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 HK$11.31

$0.39 ₫10.2K

269.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.1 HK$699

$9.43 ₫244.2K

844.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.64 HK$28.54

$0.74 ₫19.2K

391.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 HK$10.29

$0.61 ₫15.7K

114.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.82 HK$124

$2.29 ₫59.3K

590.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$4.06 HK$31.89

$0.90 ₫23.3K

351.11%

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

$44.4K HK$348.2K

$31.2K ₫808.2M

42.12%

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

$37.4K HK$293.2K

$29.9K ₫772.9M

25.17%

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

$247 HK$1,942

$86.3 ₫2.2M

186.78%

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

$15.89 HK$125

$5.30 ₫137.3K

199.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.46 HK$168

$8.95 ₫231.7K

139.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.4 HK$717

$24.82 ₫642.6K

268.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.08 HK$71.3

$9.62 ₫249.1K

-5.61%

Cinema Ticket

$13.96 HK$110

$4.28 ₫110.7K

226.17%

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

$1,155 HK$9,068

$755 ₫19.6M

52.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.3K HK$174.6K

$27.7K ₫716.4M

-19.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 HK$541

$48.39 ₫1.3M

42.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.44 HK$317

$26.60 ₫688.6K

52.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 HK$627

$84.3 ₫2.2M

-5.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 HK$923

$77.3 ₫2.0M

52.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,180 HK$17.1K

$414 ₫10.7M

426.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,718 HK$13.5K

$278 ₫7.2M

518.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,047 HK$39.6K

$873 ₫22.6M

477.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,543 HK$27.8K

$536 ₫13.9M

561.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$29.1K HK$228.7K

$5,285 ₫136.8M

451.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$17.6K HK$137.9K

$2,798 ₫72.4M

527.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,228 HK$25.3K

$518 ₫13.4M

523.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

8.28

-52.78%

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

Last update for Hong Kong: October 4, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hong Kong

$1.7K 57.5%

Hanoi

$278 35% 83.8% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Hong Kong

$415 13.9%

Hanoi

$196 24.7% 52.8% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hong Kong

$285 9.5%

Hanoi

$101 12.7% 64.7% $184

Eating Out

Hong Kong

$205 6.9%

Hanoi

$65 8.2% 68.3% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Hong Kong

$138 4.6%

Hanoi

$106 13.4% 22.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Hong Kong

$119 4%

Hanoi

$33 4.2% 72% $86

Getting Around

Hong Kong

$105 3.5%

Hanoi

$15 1.9% 85.9% $90

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,180 in Hong Kong and $414 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hong Kong pays 524% 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: $63.0 in Hong Kong vs $23.00 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $196 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇰 Hong Kong

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

09:15 9:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h behind Hong Kong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,367,900 Capital

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Hong Kong Dollar HKD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 HKD = 0.127 USD

1 HKD = 0.114 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to HKD – Hong Kong Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇰 Hong Kong Dollar ($)

Hong Kong Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 7.85 HKD (1 HKD = 0.127 USD). 1 EUR = 8.8 HKD (1 HKD = 0.114 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to HKD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hong Kong Hanoi 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hong Kong
Hanoi

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

Hong Kong vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hong Kong and Hanoi differ by about 271% in total monthly costs ($2,984 vs $805 including rent). Hanoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 524% higher in Hong Kong, 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: $2,180 in Hong Kong versus $414 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 844% less than in Hong Kong. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,155 in Hong Kong versus $755 in Hanoi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $805 in Hanoi versus $2,984 in Hong Kong, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Hong Kong. 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, Hong Kong 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 271% less than in Hong Kong. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.