Cost of Living · ZA vs VN
🇿🇦 Cape Town vs 🇻🇳 Da Nang: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $833 in South Africa vs $548 in Vietnam — 34.27% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Vietnam
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -38.73%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -38.73%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -38.73%
Closest to South Africa prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -12.92%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -13.04%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -13.06%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Africa | Vietnam | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $520 | $318 (7,691,925 VND) | -38.73% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $416 | $255 (6,153,588 VND) | -38.73% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $950 | $582 (14,065,172 VND) | -38.73% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.93 | $4.72 (114,058 VND) | -31.89% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $28.88 | $19.66 (475,082 VND) | -31.93% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.62 | $3.26 (78,778 VND) | -29.44% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.55 | $0.42 (10,149 VND) | -23.64% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.60 | $1.21 (29,240 VND) | -24.38% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.70 | $1.28 (30,931 VND) | -24.71% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $5.00 | $3.78 (91,343 VND) | -24.4% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.00 | $1.51 (36,489 VND) | -24.5% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.40 | $1.81 (43,738 VND) | -24.58% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.99 | $4.53 (109,467 VND) | -24.37% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.00 | $0.76 (18,365 VND) | -24% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.31 | $1.57 (37,939 VND) | -32.03% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.65 | $4.92 (118,891 VND) | -12.92% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.93 | $1.31 (31,656 VND) | -32.12% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.15 | $0.87 (21,023 VND) | -24.35% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $27.30 | $19.24 (464,932 VND) | -29.52% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.16 | $0.81 (19,574 VND) | -30.17% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.54 | $1.05 (25,373 VND) | -31.82% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.69 | $0.47 (11,358 VND) | -31.88% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.67 | $0.58 (14,016 VND) | -13.43% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $84.00 | $59.20 (1,430,561 VND) | -29.52% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $29.40 | $20.72 (500,696 VND) | -29.52% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $18.90 | $13.32 (321,876 VND) | -29.52% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $19.26 | $13.10 (316,560 VND) | -31.98% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $5.39 | $3.67 (88,685 VND) | -31.91% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $11.55 | $7.86 (189,936 VND) | -31.95% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $38.87 | $33.80 (816,773 VND) | -13.04% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $63.61 | $55.30 (1,336,318 VND) | -13.06% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $96.28 | $65.52 (1,583,283 VND) | -31.95% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Vietnam than South Africa?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $548 in Vietnam versus $833 in South Africa — 34.27% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Vietnam?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.57 in Vietnam (≈ 37938.87 VND), versus about $2.31 in South Africa.
- How much is rent in Vietnam compared to South Africa?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $318/month in Vietnam versus $520/month in South Africa (-38.73%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.