Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Hanoi

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanoi: $794 a month against $1,244 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Hanoi
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Hanoi Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,244

/mo nomad

Hanoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$794

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,244 in Shanghai versus $794 in Hanoi.

Shanghai $1,244
Hanoi $794

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,999 in Shanghai versus $1,229 in Hanoi.

Shanghai $1,999
Hanoi $1,229

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Shanghai versus $1,664 in Hanoi.

Shanghai $2,755
Hanoi $1,664

Living in Shanghai is roughly 57% more expensive than in Hanoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 8% lower, Hanoi 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.56 ¥30.47

$2.11 ₫54.6K

116.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.21 ¥202

$23.20 ₫600.7K

30.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.25 ¥35.13

$4.47 ₫115.6K

17.45%

Cappuccino

$3.28 ¥21.94

$1.83 ₫47.4K

79.23%

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

$0.57 ¥3.84

$0.51 ₫13.3K

11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ¥2.39

$0.30 ₫7,638

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.23

$1.10 ₫28.6K

11.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.18

$1.95 ₫50.4K

16.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 ¥12.30

$1.53 ₫39.6K

20.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 ¥13.08

$1.07 ₫27.6K

83.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$0.82 ₫21.1K

25.61%

Eggs

$1.67 ¥11.16

$1.48 ₫38.4K

12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.96 ¥113

$10.36 ₫268.2K

63.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.19 ¥21.33

$3.64 ₫94.2K

-12.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.90 ¥86.3

$9.85 ₫255.1K

30.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ¥15.00

$3.27 ₫84.6K

-31.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.13

$1.07 ₫27.8K

55.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 ¥13.54

$1.38 ₫35.8K

46.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.08

$1.10 ₫28.5K

50.91%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.17

$0.98 ₫25.3K

-21.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.08 ₫27.9K

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.19

$0.53 ₫13.8K

18.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ¥3.99

$0.52 ₫13.5K

15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 ¥25.44

$1.36 ₫35.2K

179.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 ¥72.7

$12.60 ₫326.2K

-13.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.51

$0.90 ₫23.3K

-8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.76

$1.65 ₫42.8K

-2.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ¥4.11

$0.41 ₫10.6K

48.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.40 ¥197

$9.45 ₫244.5K

211.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.11 ¥14.11

$0.74 ₫19.1K

185.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-23.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.06 ¥60.6

$2.27 ₫58.7K

299.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.89

$0.95 ₫24.7K

40.00%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$30.4K ₫786.1M

-37.34%

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

$18.7K ¥125.1K

$29.8K ₫770.4M

-37.13%

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

$57.8 ¥387

$86.5 ₫2.2M

-33.13%

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

$8.09 ¥54.1

$5.16 ₫133.6K

56.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ¥70.0

$9.13 ₫236.3K

14.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.7 ¥439

$24.26 ₫628.2K

170.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.82 ¥119

$9.21 ₫238.4K

93.49%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 ¥59.9

$4.22 ₫109.2K

112.09%

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

$1,414 ¥9,451

$779 ₫20.2M

81.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K ¥186.2K

$27.5K ₫712.4M

1.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 ¥361

$48.25 ₫1.2M

11.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.09 ¥248

$26.18 ₫677.7K

41.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.3 ¥496

$82.7 ₫2.1M

-10.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥706

$78.5 ₫2.0M

34.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 ¥7,056

$403 ₫10.4M

161.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ¥3,910

$280 ₫7.3M

108.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,485 ¥16.6K

$852 ₫22.1M

191.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 ¥8,240

$530 ₫13.7M

132.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K ¥93.1K

$5,117 ₫132.5M

172.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,253 ¥41.8K

$2,859 ₫74.0M

118.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,711 ¥11.4K

$528 ₫13.7M

223.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.28

-59.42%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Hanoi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$585 47%

Hanoi

$280 35.3% 52.1% $304

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$235 18.9%

Hanoi

$194 24.5% 17.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$122 9.8%

Hanoi

$106 13.4% 13% $16

Eating Out

Shanghai

$106 8.5%

Hanoi

$65 8.2% 38.8% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$84 6.7%

Hanoi

$33 4.1% 60.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$76 6.1%

Hanoi

$101 12.7% 31.9% $24

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 2.9%

Hanoi

$15 1.9% 59.5% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,055 in Shanghai and $403 in Hanoi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 224% 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: $30.00 in Shanghai vs $23.00 in Hanoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $194 per month, with Hanoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇻🇳 Hanoi

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

1 h behind Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

8,587,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Hanoi 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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

Shanghai vs Hanoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shanghai and Hanoi differ by about 57% in total monthly costs ($1,244 vs $794 including rent). Hanoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 224% higher in Shanghai, 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: $1,055 in Shanghai 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 211% less than in Shanghai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $1,414 in Shanghai 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 $1,244 in Shanghai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hanoi but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. 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, Shanghai 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 57% less than in Shanghai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.