South Korea vs Vietnam - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

South Korea Vietnam
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1114
$650
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2777
$1668
🏠 One person rent
$477
$321
🏘️ Family rent
$804
$560
🍽️ Food expenses
$437
$202
🚐 Transport expenses
$94.8
$54.7
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$2268
$335
💸 GDP per capita
$36239
$4717
😃 Human freedom index
8.15
5.29
❤️ Life expectancy
83.4
74.6
👮 Corruption perceptions index
63
41
🌐 English speaking %
20%
16%
🎓 Higher education
87
57
😀 Quality of life
87
49
🏙️ Population
51.8M
101M

The average cost of living in South Korea ($1114) is 71% more expensive than in Vietnam ($650). South Korea ranked 80th 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 2 months in South Korea compared to 0.5 months in Vietnam. Ranked 23rd and 101st best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

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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
$6.72
$1.85
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$36.3
$22.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$5.73
$4.41
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$3.31
$1.03
 Cappuccino
$3.51
$1.69
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.48
$0.5
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$495
$387
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$325
$236
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1123
$898
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$705
$593
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$98.9
$46.8
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$153
$72
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$19.8
$9.21
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
4.17%
8.45%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$11512
$3202
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$6605
$1757
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$1.03
$0.32
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$43.1
$8.66
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$8.65
$5.76
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.15
$0.83
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2
$1.44
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$2.71
$0.9
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.62
$0.96
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.96
$1.46
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$13.9
$12.1
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$7.68
$3.65
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$20
$10.2
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.24
$2.83
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.17
$1.12
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.72
$1.28
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$5.38
$1.11
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.24
$1.04
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.31
$1.14
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.76
$0.34
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$2.19
$0.92
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$15.5
$12.5
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.9
$0.87
🚬 Cigarette pack
$3.07
$1.36
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$4.3
$1.73
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$4.54
$2.89
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$2.44
$1.12
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$1.64
$1.05
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$47.6
$21.8
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$9.68
$3.54
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$53.5
$34.2
💇 Haircut, simple
$9.42
$5.65
👖 Brand Jeans
$57.3
$40.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$72.6
$89.5
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$404
$277
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$17691
$13069

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
$1363
9.67M
Busan
$1114
3.45M
Incheon
$1057
3.05M
Daegu
$1043
2.38M
Gwangju
$1062
1.41M
Daejeon
$922
1.48M
Ulsan
$1020
1.13M
Suwon
$1030
1.23M
Seongnam
$1425
919K
Yongin
$1102
1.08M
Cheongju
$903
848K
Hwaseong
$1076
1M
Changwon
$1032
1.01M
Namyangju
$1120
732K
Goyang
$1092
1.06M
Gimhae
$946
534K
Jeju
$1064
698K
Siheung
$1292
514K
Pyeongtaek
$1095
607K
Pohang
$1030
504K
Cheonan
$1121
657K
Bucheon
$1167
772K
Uijeongbu
$913
463K
Jeju Island
$1079
666K
Paju
$1049
498K
Ansan
$1044
623K
Gwangju
$1179
397K
Hanam
$1162
330K
Gunsan
$1002
275K
Sejong
$986
392K

In Vietnam

City Cost of living Population
Ho Chi Minh
$762
14M
Hanoi
$702
8.72M
Da Nang
$660
2.82M
Haiphong
$571
2.12M
Can Tho
$456
3.21M
Bien Hoa
$419
1.1M
Hai Duong
$587
507K
Bac Ninh
$597
520K
Hue
$380
653K
Vinh
$590
490K
Thanh Hoa
$601
393K
Ha Tinh
$567
380K
Vung Tau
$525
357K
Nam Dinh
$602
352K
Nha Trang
$541
392K
Thai Nguyen
$476
340K
Thu Dau Mot
$540
322K
Buon Ma Thuot
$535
340K
Thai Binh
$587
268K
Viet Tri
$590
278K
Ha Long
$585
270K
Qui Nhon
$519
311K
Ca Mau
$526
315K
Phan Thiet
$500
205K
Da Lat
$572
204K
Long Xuyen
$514
279K
Dong Hoi
$496
160K
Phan Rang-Thap Cham
$543
196K
Rach Gia
$535
251K
Cam Pha
$577
156K