Cost of living comparison

compared to

Hanoi vs. Kathmandu Cost of Living Summary

Hanoi is 56.6% more expensive than Kathmandu.

Restaurants
pay 1.9% more in Hanoi
Groceries
pay 40.0% more in Hanoi
Transportation
pay 24.2% less in Hanoi
Housing
pay 2.0 times more in Hanoi
Childcare
pay 3.4 times more in Hanoi
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.8% less in Hanoi
Clothing
pay 54.7% more in Hanoi

The cost of childcare, housing, clothing, groceries, and restaurants in Hanoi are more expensive than in Kathmandu. Expenses including transportation and entertainment and sports are lower in Hanoi. Notably, childcare and housing are significantly more expensive in Hanoi.

Hanoi vs. Kathmandu Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Hanoi instead of Kathmandu, you would:

pay 1.9% more for restaurants

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $1.76
NPR260.89
$1.89
₫49,045
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.34
NPR939.21
$4.32
₫112K
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.54
NPR80.27
$0.47
₫12,261

Improve prices ·

pay 40.0% more for groceries

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Bread
1 loaf
$0.55
NPR81.21
$0.91
₫23,447
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.49
NPR665.54
$4.95
₫128K
Milk (1 gallon) $3.16
NPR467.35
$5.27
₫137K

Improve prices ·

pay 24.2% less for transportation

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.57
NPR676.66
$3.20
₫82,981
Monthly public transit pass $10.57
NPR1,565.35
$7.58
₫196K
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $31,715.30
NPR5M
$37,880.00
₫981M

Improve prices ·

pay 2.0 times more for housing

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$8.25
NPR1,221.45
$8.67
₫225K
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $179.99
NPR26,650.14
$348.52
₫9M
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $93.92
NPR13,906.64
$258.44
₫7M

Improve prices ·

pay 3.4 times more for childcare

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $80.28
NPR11,887.57
$231.49
₫6M
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $3,085.67
NPR457K
$11,784.89
₫305M

Improve prices ·

pay 13.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.61
NPR386.12
$0.95
₫24,523
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.78
NPR264.18
$1.79
₫46,409
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.82
NPR417.43
$1.33
₫34,332

Improve prices ·

pay 54.7% more for clothing

 
Kathmandu
Hanoi
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$22.91
NPR3,391.59
$41.82
₫1M
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$26.63
NPR3,942.36
$22.94
₫594K
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$56.89
NPR8,423.06
$86.52
₫2M

Improve prices ·
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2026
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Nepal vs. Vietnam. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Nepal and Vietnam.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Hanoi or Kathmandu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.