Cost of Living · KR vs VN
🇰🇷 Seoul vs 🇻🇳 Da Nang: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,390 in South Korea vs $548 in Vietnam — 60.6% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Vietnam
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -66.03%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -66.02%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -66.02%
Closest to South Korea prices
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: -26.46%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -26.54%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -26.55%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | South Korea | Vietnam | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $937 | $318 (7,691,925 VND) | -66.02% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $750 | $255 (6,153,588 VND) | -66.02% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,713 | $582 (14,065,172 VND) | -66.03% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $11.02 | $4.72 (114,058 VND) | -57.17% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $45.90 | $19.66 (475,082 VND) | -57.17% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $7.04 | $3.26 (78,778 VND) | -53.69% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.77 | $0.42 (10,149 VND) | -45.45% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.24 | $1.21 (29,240 VND) | -45.98% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.38 | $1.28 (30,931 VND) | -46.22% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $7.00 | $3.78 (91,343 VND) | -46% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.80 | $1.51 (36,489 VND) | -46.07% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.36 | $1.81 (43,738 VND) | -46.13% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.40 | $4.53 (109,467 VND) | -46.07% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.40 | $0.76 (18,365 VND) | -45.71% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.67 | $1.57 (37,939 VND) | -57.22% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.69 | $4.92 (118,891 VND) | -26.46% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $3.06 | $1.31 (31,656 VND) | -57.19% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.61 | $0.87 (21,023 VND) | -45.96% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $41.60 | $19.24 (464,932 VND) | -53.75% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.76 | $0.81 (19,574 VND) | -53.98% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.45 | $1.05 (25,373 VND) | -57.14% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.10 | $0.47 (11,358 VND) | -57.27% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.79 | $0.58 (14,016 VND) | -26.58% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $128 | $59.20 (1,430,561 VND) | -53.75% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $44.80 | $20.72 (500,696 VND) | -53.75% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $28.80 | $13.32 (321,876 VND) | -53.75% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $30.60 | $13.10 (316,560 VND) | -57.19% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.57 | $3.67 (88,685 VND) | -57.18% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $18.36 | $7.86 (189,936 VND) | -57.19% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $46.01 | $33.80 (816,773 VND) | -26.54% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $75.29 | $55.30 (1,336,318 VND) | -26.55% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $153 | $65.52 (1,583,283 VND) | -57.18% |
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 Korea?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $548 in Vietnam versus $1,390 in South Korea — 60.6% 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 $3.67 in South Korea.
- How much is rent in Vietnam compared to South Korea?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $318/month in Vietnam versus $937/month in South Korea (-66.02%). 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.