Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vietnam and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Vietnam: $766 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Vietnam
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Vietnam Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇻🇳 Vietnam

$766

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vietnam and in the United Kingdom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $766 in Vietnam versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Vietnam $766
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,214 in Vietnam versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Vietnam $1,214
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,662 in Vietnam versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Vietnam $1,662
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $437–$889 in Vietnam. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Vietnam costs about 69% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Vietnam (44% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.2K

$21.48 £16.04

-90.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 ₫499.0K

$85.7 £64.0

-77.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.5K

$10.61 £7.92

-55.98%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.3K

$4.91 £3.67

-66.60%

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

$0.49 ₫12.8K

$2.66 £1.99

-81.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₫7,606

$1.87 £1.39

-84.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₫24.1K

$6.63 £4.95

-85.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$6.84 £5.11

-76.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₫39.6K

$1.68 £1.25

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 ₫26.3K

$1.72 £1.28

-40.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.96 ₫24.6K

$2.17 £1.62

-55.76%

Eggs

$1.55 ₫40.0K

$4.00 £2.99

-61.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.55 ₫298.1K

$9.42 £7.03

22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.81 ₫98.4K

$9.19 £6.86

-58.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.99 ₫257.7K

$14.77 £11.03

-32.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 ₫73.9K

$2.97 £2.21

-3.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$1.62 £1.21

-29.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.35 ₫34.7K

$2.85 £2.13

-52.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 ₫32.3K

$3.52 £2.63

-64.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.6K

$1.83 £1.37

-37.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.4K

$1.61 £1.20

-26.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₫17.2K

$1.25 £0.93

-46.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$1.66 £1.24

-68.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.45 ₫37.5K

$23.65 £17.66

-93.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.42 ₫243.2K

$10.50 £7.84

-10.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₫21.4K

$2.98 £2.23

-72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$3.51 £2.62

-56.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ₫7,645

$3.98 £2.97

-92.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.91 ₫281.5K

$107 £80.2

-89.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₫20.8K

$5.18 £3.87

-84.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$2.35 £1.75

-76.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.26 ₫58.4K

$26.84 £20.04

-91.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₫23.0K

$1.99 £1.48

-55.28%

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

$30.3K ₫780.9M

$39.4K £29.5K

-23.28%

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

$29.0K ₫749.3M

$40.5K £30.2K

-28.27%

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

$73.4 ₫1.9M

$327 £244

-77.55%

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

$5.74 ₫148.1K

$18.21 £13.60

-68.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.47 ₫244.4K

$43.60 £32.56

-78.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.24 ₫548.1K

$42.36 £31.63

-49.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.95 ₫231.0K

$18.22 £13.60

-50.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.97 ₫102.3K

$13.85 £10.34

-71.34%

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

$445 ₫11.5M

$1,868 £1,395

-76.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ₫505.9M

$22.6K £16.9K

-13.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.30 ₫1.1M

$92.9 £69.4

-54.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.17 ₫675.3K

$45.92 £34.29

-43.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.3 ₫2.2M

$102 £75.9

-15.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.3 ₫2.0M

$102 £76.3

-25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$425 ₫11.0M

$1,342 £1,002

-68.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₫7.1M

$1,073 £801

-74.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₫23.1M

$2,231 £1,666

-59.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$576 ₫14.9M

$1,742 £1,301

-66.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,799 ₫98.0M

$5,601 £4,182

-32.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,054 ₫53.0M

$4,265 £3,185

-51.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$413 ₫10.6M

$3,349 £2,501

-87.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

5.32

64.47%

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

Last update for Vietnam: October 27, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vietnam

$275 36%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 290% $798

Groceries & Markets

Vietnam

$193 25.2%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 59.4% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Vietnam

$104 13.6%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 48.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vietnam

$89 11.6%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 339% $300

Eating Out

Vietnam

$60 7.9%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 444% $267

Sport & Entertainment

Vietnam

$29 3.8%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 140% $41

Getting Around

Vietnam

$16 2.1%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 793% $125

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $381 in Vietnam, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $429 in Hanoi vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $343 in Vietnam, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 238% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 315% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 1343% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 9.5 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vietnam

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

22:54 10:54 PM

15:54 3:54 PM

7 h behind Vietnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,208,984

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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

British Pound exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vietnam United Kingdom 9,240 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Vietnam
United Kingdom

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

Vietnam vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $2,462 per month in the United Kingdom and $766 in Vietnam, Vietnam comes out about 69% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Vietnam: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 in the United Kingdom and $381 in Vietnam. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Vietnam wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.