South Korea vs Vietnam - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea Vietnam
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1118
$611
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$3093
$1817
🏠 One person rent
$471
$282
🏘️ Family rent
$1095
$698
🍽️ Food expenses
$454
$205
🚐 Transport expenses
$98.5
$51.5
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2392
$457
💸 GDP per capita
$32423
$4164
😃 Human freedom index
8.12
5.51
❤️ Life expectancy
83.5
73.6
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
41
🌐 English speaking %
20%
16%
🎓 Higher education
87
56
😀 Quality of life
87
48
🏙️ Population
51.5M
96.2M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1118) is 83% more expensive than in Vietnam ($611). South Korea ranked 62nd vs 153rd 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 2.1 months in South Korea compared to 0.7 months in Vietnam. Ranked 20th and 90th 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
$6.47
$1.85
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$35
$21.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.62
$4.54
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.31
$0.97
 Cappuccino
$3.63
$1.79
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.46
$0.5
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$466
$324
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$323
$205
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1256
$866
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$839
$561
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$99.4
$43.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$66.8
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$20.9
$9.83
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.46%
9.78%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$10104
$2793
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6925
$1398
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.06
$0.3
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$44.3
$7.39
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$9.06
$5.61
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.24
$0.96
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.07
$1.46
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.86
$1.02
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.19
$0.96
🥚 Eggs, x12
$3.26
$1.62
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$11.8
$11.2
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$8.08
$3.67
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$31.2
$10.3
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.08
$3.31
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.32
$1.04
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.58
$1.52
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.12
$1.1
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.6
$1.16
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.97
$1.25
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.68
$0.35
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.53
$0.98
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.3
$10.1
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.1
$0.85
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.35
$1.29
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.94
$1.9
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$5.38
$2.96
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.37
$1.11
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$2.13
$0.93
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$51.9
$24.9
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.9
$4.29
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$28.1
$35.8
💇 Haircut, simple
$8.02
$2.71
👖 Brand Jeans
$62.1
$33.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$78
$91.1
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$385
$252
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17694
$14068

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
$1444
9.67M
Busan
$1029
3.45M
Incheon
$1020
2.94M
Daegu
$1113
2.44M
Daejeon
$924
1.48M
Gwangju
$1147
1.49M
Suwon
$987
1.23M
Ulsan
$1078
1.15M
Seongnam
$1121
949K
Changwon
$1073
1.05M
Cheongju
$903
849K
Yongin
$1256
971K
Jeju Island
$1056
678K
Goyang
$1144
1.06M
Hwaseong
$1088
904K
Namyangju
$1106
713K
Bucheon
$1152
793K
Gimhae
$907
534K
Jeju
$1003
435K
Cheonan
$940
652K
Ansan
$1127
653K
Siheung
$1081
425K
Uijeongbu
$986
463K
Anyang
$1097
548K
Gunsan
$975
275K
Pohang
$989
504K
Masan
$1006
430K
Jeonju
$787
653K
Pyeongtaek
$924
458K
Paju
$1072
415K

In Vietnam

City Cost of living Population
Ho Chi Minh
$702
10.4M
Hanoi
$631
8.25M
Haiphong
$605
2.1M
Da Nang
$601
1.23M
Bien Hoa
$479
1.1M
Nam Dinh
$504
352K
Hai Duong
$557
507K
Vinh
$575
490K
Bac Ninh
$524
520K
Can Tho
$463
1.24M
Thanh Hoa
$566
393K
Vung Tau
$534
357K
Hue
$422
653K
Thai Binh
$517
268K
Thu Dau Mot
$550
417K
Thai Nguyen
$562
330K
Ha Long
$590
300K
Viet Tri
$549
278K
Nha Trang
$554
392K
Buon Ma Thuot
$521
340K
Qui Nhon
$518
311K
Ca Mau
$520
315K
Ha Tinh
$554
202K
Da Lat
$512
238K
Phan Thiet
$566
205K
Cam Pha
$571
156K
Long Xuyen
$509
279K
Bac Lieu
$516
240K
Rach Gia
$518
251K
Soc Trang
$522
221K