South Korea vs Vietnam - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea Vietnam
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1134
$614
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2805
$1575
🏠 One person rent
$487
$295
🏘️ Family rent
$821
$514
🍽️ Food expenses
$443
$197
🚐 Transport expenses
$97.9
$51.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$1998
$342
💸 GDP per capita
$33121
$4717
😃 Human freedom index
8.23
5.43
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
74.6
👮 Corruption perceptions index
64
40
🌐 English speaking %
20%
16%
🎓 Higher education
87
55
😀 Quality of life
85
47
🏙️ Population
51.8M
101M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1134) is 85% more expensive than in Vietnam ($614). South Korea ranked 74th vs 163rd for Vietnam in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 1.8 months in South Korea compared to 0.6 months in Vietnam. Ranked 24th and 102nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in South Korea vs Vietnam infographic

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Prices in South Korea vs Vietnam

We calculate prices for South Korea and Vietnam as a population-weighted mean of 87 and 38 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

South Korea Vietnam
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$6.71
$1.8
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35.2
$22.4
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.72
$4.08
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.29
$0.99
 Cappuccino
$3.56
$1.69
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.52
$0.48
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$483
$335
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$336
$219
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1135
$820
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$721
$559
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$101
$43.5
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$154
$67.1
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$20.6
$8.93
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.18%
8.99%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10906
$2769
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6575
$1536
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.03
$0.31
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$44.6
$8.37
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.04
$5.77
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$0.84
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.06
$1.37
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.83
$0.88
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.6
$0.92
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.1
$1.46
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$12.6
$10.8
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.76
$3.54
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$22.7
$10
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.94
$2.91
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.14
$1.1
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.93
$1.28
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.15
$1.05
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.67
$1.01
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.63
$1.01
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.75
$0.33
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.23
$0.92
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$12.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.88
$0.85
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.11
$1.28
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.39
$1.7
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.78
$2.87
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.51
$1.12
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.68
$1.03
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$48.3
$22
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.93
$3.61
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$54.5
$32.5
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.46
$5.35
👖 Brand Jeans
$60.7
$39.9
👟 Brand Sneakers
$71.4
$85.4
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$351
$240
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$15508
$11417

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in South Korea vs Vietnam

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In South Korea

City Cost of living Population
Seoul
$1383
9.67M
Busan
$1108
3.45M
Incheon
$1088
2.94M
Daegu
$1062
2.38M
Gwangju
$1081
1.49M
Suwon
$1066
1.23M
Daejeon
$959
1.48M
Ulsan
$1076
1.13M
Seongnam
$1435
919K
Yongin
$1120
1.08M
Cheongju
$924
852K
Hwaseong
$1098
941K
Changwon
$1084
1.01M
Namyangju
$1138
732K
Gimhae
$975
534K
Siheung
$1307
520K
Pyeongtaek
$1141
590K
Pohang
$1024
504K
Goyang
$1097
1.06M
Cheonan
$1153
657K
Bucheon
$1175
772K
Jeju Island
$1100
678K
Uijeongbu
$918
463K
Ansan
$1049
623K
Jeju
$1069
492K
Gwangju
$1196
397K
Paju
$1065
498K
Gunsan
$1020
275K
Hanam
$1178
330K
Sejong
$1020
386K

In Vietnam

City Cost of living Population
Ho Chi Minh
$734
9.39M
Hanoi
$652
8.44M
Haiphong
$562
2.09M
Bien Hoa
$410
1.1M
Da Nang
$615
1.22M
Can Tho
$439
1.25M
Bac Ninh
$558
520K
Hue
$372
653K
Hai Duong
$558
507K
Vinh
$560
490K
Thanh Hoa
$568
393K
Nam Dinh
$570
352K
Nha Trang
$508
392K
Ha Tinh
$539
380K
Vung Tau
$493
357K
Buon Ma Thuot
$516
340K
Thai Nguyen
$461
330K
Ha Long
$559
270K
Thai Binh
$556
268K
Viet Tri
$569
278K
Thu Dau Mot
$519
322K
Qui Nhon
$501
311K
Ca Mau
$507
315K
Da Lat
$572
204K
Phan Thiet
$482
205K
Phan Rang-Thap Cham
$523
196K
Cam Pha
$551
156K
Long Xuyen
$498
279K
Dong Hoi
$483
160K
Rach Gia
$515
251K