If you go to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, you may be surprised because the prices here are quite cheap. The cost of living here is quite reasonable, ranging from 500-1000$, depending on your lifestyle and choice of rent. Today our article is specifically about the cost of living in Hanoi- the capital city of Vietnam.

Although the cost of food and drink in Hanoi is often cheaper than in countries like Japan and Korea, some amenities and food can be quite expensive.

In this article, we will cover 3 types of costs as follows:

• House rent and utilities
• Money for meals
• Travel expenses

Cost of living in Hanoi

1. Rent and utilities

Currently, you can live in a high-rise apartment building for about 10,000,000 VND (~450 USD).

Rent in Hanoi is only about half to a third of that in Japan (metropolitan area). Due to the impact of the recent corona epidemic, rents have decreased a little in 2020.

However, it seems that it has stopped falling because there has not been much change in the epidemic situation in the past six months.

To give an example:

A 54㎡ wide apartment in the center of Hanoi, in a high-rise apartment building built 7 years ago, on the 42nd floor costs VND 12,000,000 (~$500)

Another apartment on the outskirts of Hanoi (less than 1 hour by motorbike from the center), the house is 67㎡ wide, the building has been built for 8 years, on the 15th floor is priced at 5,000,000 VND (~220$)

Since Hanoi does not have a metro network like the Japanese capital area, it is often congested with traffic. Also, access to Hanoi’s city center is very important and rents will vary greatly depending on location.

In terms of the cost of utility services, there is a significant difference depending on whether the service is provided by a government-affiliated company or a private company.

2. Food

When talking about the cost of living in Hanoi, we need to mention food. Vegetable and fruit are very cheap here, although prices also vary depending on the season.

Here are the prices of some basic dishes:

• 350ml beer = about 15,000VND
• Coke 350ml = 8,000VND
• Fries = 15,000 VND
• Cabbage 1kg = 15,000VND
• Potatoes 1kg = 20,000VND
• Onion 1kg = 25,000 VND
• Mango 1kg = 15,000VND
• Beef tendon 100g = 25,000 VND
• Pork Ribs 100g = 20,000VND

Even when you eat at a local restaurant in Hanoi, the cost per meal is cheaper than in many other countries:

• Noodles = 30,000 VND
• Bun Cha = 30,000 VND
• Hue beef noodle soup = 40,000 VND
• Barbecue buffet = 190,000 VND

On the other hand, in Hanoi, if you prepare your own meals or eat at small shops, you can significantly reduce your food costs!

In addition, if you live according to Western standards, then: American Express or European Breakfast breakfast will be about 200,000 VND/person, standard Hanoi breakfast (1 bowl of Pho Ly Quoc Su 80,000, and 1 cup of coffee 30,000 VND). . With this calculation, a person will need to spend an average of 150,000 VND for a meal.

In addition, if you eat lunch and dinner with a Western menu, an average family of 4 in Hanoi’s cost of living in Hanoi will be around 37 million VND a month for them to live a comfortable life.

3. Travel expenses

The cost of traveling in Hanoi is also not too expensive.

If using a grab technology car to go to work, it will cost you about 30,000 VND for a distance of less than 4 km or about 60,000 VND for using a “xe om” (a street driver). Grab is a convenient ride-hailing service, so we recommend you give it a try when visiting Vietnam.

For fixed bus routes, bus tickets cost from 7,000 VND to 9,000 VND for a trip (regardless of the distance).

Especially in Hanoi because there is no tram running in the city, there are many opportunities to take a taxi.

Hopefully our article about the cost of living in Hanoi has given you some ideas on how to spend your money when moving to live in this gorgeous city of Vietnam. See you in the next articles!