Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between India and Vietnam

For one person, living is cheaper in India: $400 a month against $771 in Vietnam, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

India
Vietnam
🇮🇳 India
$400
/mo nomad
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$771
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in India and in Vietnam

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in India and in Vietnam actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $400 in India versus $771 in Vietnam.

  • India $400
  • Vietnam $771

Estimated couple costs with rent: $638 in India versus $1,212 in Vietnam.

  • India $638
  • Vietnam $1,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $877 in India versus $1,653 in Vietnam.

  • India $877
  • Vietnam $1,653

Internal cost variation is higher in India: monthly costs span $244 to $811, compared to $459–$895 in Vietnam. City choice carries more weight in India.

Living in India costs about 48% less than in Vietnam on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: India 70% lower, Vietnam 43% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
India
Vietnam
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.16 ₹203
$1.96 ₫50.4K
10.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$10.70 ₹1,004
$19.50 ₫500.7K
-45.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.64 ₹342
$4.59 ₫117.8K
-20.70%
Cappuccino
$1.75 ₹164
$1.65 ₫42.3K
6.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 ₹39.43
$0.50 ₫12.7K
-16.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.15 ₹14.09
$0.32 ₫8,247
-53.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.87 ₹175
$0.99 ₫25.3K
88.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.13 ₹294
$1.57 ₫40.4K
99.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
India
Vietnam
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.65 ₹60.8
$1.48 ₫38.0K
-56.08%
White Bread (500g)
$0.46 ₹42.95
$1.02 ₫26.1K
-54.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.64 ₹60.2
$0.96 ₫24.7K
-33.33%
Eggs
$0.95 ₹89.1
$1.55 ₫39.9K
-38.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.87 ₹457
$11.49 ₫295.0K
-57.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.82 ₹265
$3.86 ₫99.2K
-26.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
-
$9.75 ₫250.3K
-
Apples (1kg)
$1.92 ₹180
$2.85 ₫73.2K
-32.63%
Banana (1kg)
$0.63 ₹59.5
$1.08 ₫27.7K
-41.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.99 ₹92.7
$1.30 ₫33.4K
-23.85%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.48 ₹44.89
$1.19 ₫30.7K
-59.66%
Potato (1kg)
$0.33 ₹31.23
$1.14 ₫29.4K
-71.05%
Onion (1kg)
$0.42 ₹39.78
$1.21 ₫31.2K
-65.29%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.46 ₹43.32
$0.73 ₫18.8K
-36.99%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.31 ₹29.20
$0.49 ₫12.7K
-36.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.17 ₹485
$1.44 ₫37.0K
259.03%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.56 ₹710
$9.90 ₫254.1K
-23.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₹155
$0.85 ₫21.7K
94.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.66 ₹250
$1.44 ₫37.0K
84.72%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
$5.24 ₹492
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
India
Vietnam
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.24 ₹22.51
$0.32 ₫8,282
-25.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.23 ₹773
$10.75 ₫275.9K
-23.44%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.96 ₹90.1
$0.85 ₫21.8K
12.94%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.25 ₹23.47
$0.59 ₫15.2K
-57.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 ₹144
$2.32 ₫59.5K
-33.62%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.13 ₹106
$0.97 ₫24.9K
16.49%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$11.1K ₹1.0M
$30.5K ₫783.7M
-63.66%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$20.3K ₹1.9M
$29.5K ₫757.9M
-31.05%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
Vietnam
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$38.08 ₹3,576
$76.2 ₫2.0M
-49.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.53 ₹331
$5.63 ₫144.7K
-37.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$6.95 ₹652
$8.95 ₫229.8K
-22.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
India
Vietnam
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$15.43 ₹1,449
$20.75 ₫532.9K
-25.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.09 ₹666
$9.24 ₫237.4K
-23.27%
Cinema Ticket
$3.13 ₹294
$3.79 ₫97.4K
-17.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
India
Vietnam
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$58.1 ₹5,451
$491 ₫12.6M
-88.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,158 ₹296.6K
$25.7K ₫661.2M
-87.73%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
India
Vietnam
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.69 ₹2,130
$39.52 ₫1.0M
-42.59%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.44 ₹2,295
$26.09 ₫669.9K
-6.32%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$40.02 ₹3,758
$86.1 ₫2.2M
-53.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$29.67 ₹2,786
$77.8 ₫2.0M
-61.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
India
Vietnam
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$145 ₹13.7K
$421 ₫10.8M
-65.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$96.8 ₹9,092
$281 ₫7.2M
-65.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$339 ₹31.8K
$888 ₫22.8M
-61.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$231 ₹21.7K
$571 ₫14.7M
-59.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,142 ₹107.3K
$3,763 ₫96.6M
-69.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$633 ₹59.4K
$2,051 ₫52.7M
-69.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
India
Vietnam
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$407 ₹38.2K
$422 ₫10.8M
-3.50%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.94
8.8
1.59%

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

Last update for India: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vietnam: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
India
$102
Vietnam
$192 87.9% $90
Accommodation & Living
India
$97
Vietnam
$281 190% $184
Eating Out
India
$67
Vietnam
$61 9.7% $6.5
Clothing & Footwear
India
$53
Vietnam
$103 96.4% $51
Monthly Utilities & Internet
India
$49
Vietnam
$91 86.8% $42
Sport & Entertainment
India
$22
Vietnam
$28 30.6% $6.6
Getting Around
India
$11
Vietnam
$16 39% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $121 in India, $387 in Vietnam. Capital cities: $278 in Delhi vs $435 in Hanoi.

National salary averages: $405 in India, $365 in Vietnam. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 220% higher in Vietnam.

Dining out costs 82% more in Vietnam.

Salaries are 11% higher in India, and purchasing power comes out stronger in India.

Good to know
🇮🇳 India
🇻🇳 Vietnam
🕒 Local time
19:07 7:07 PM
20:37 8:37 PM
1 h 30 min ahead of India
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,326,093,247
96,208,984
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 93.9 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 105 INR (1,000 INR = 9.48 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 25,680 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,841 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • India Vietnam 3,000 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • India
  • Vietnam

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
India vs Vietnam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between India and Vietnam?
At $400 per month in India and $771 in Vietnam, India comes out about 48% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $387 in Vietnam and $121 in India. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to India or to Vietnam?
It depends on what you’re after: India wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.

India vs other spots: cost of living compared

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