Cost of Living · VN vs ZA
🇻🇳 Da Nang vs 🇿🇦 Cape Town: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $548 in Vietnam vs $833 in South Africa — 52.13% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in South Africa
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 14.84%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 15%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 15.03%
Closest to Vietnam prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +63.21%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +63.21%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +63.2%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Vietnam | South Africa | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $318 | $520 (9,293 ZAR) | +63.21% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $255 | $416 (7,435 ZAR) | +63.2% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $582 | $950 (16,994 ZAR) | +63.21% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $4.72 | $6.93 (124 ZAR) | +46.82% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $19.66 | $28.88 (517 ZAR) | +46.9% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $3.26 | $4.62 (83 ZAR) | +41.72% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.42 | $0.55 (10 ZAR) | +30.95% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.21 | $1.60 (29 ZAR) | +32.23% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.28 | $1.70 (30 ZAR) | +32.81% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $3.78 | $5.00 (89 ZAR) | +32.28% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.51 | $2.00 (36 ZAR) | +32.45% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $1.81 | $2.40 (43 ZAR) | +32.6% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $4.53 | $5.99 (107 ZAR) | +32.23% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.76 | $1.00 (18 ZAR) | +31.58% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.57 | $2.31 (41 ZAR) | +47.13% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $4.92 | $5.65 (101 ZAR) | +14.84% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.31 | $1.93 (35 ZAR) | +47.33% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $0.87 | $1.15 (21 ZAR) | +32.18% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $19.24 | $27.30 (488 ZAR) | +41.89% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $0.81 | $1.16 (21 ZAR) | +43.21% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.05 | $1.54 (28 ZAR) | +46.67% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.47 | $0.69 (12 ZAR) | +46.81% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.58 | $0.67 (12 ZAR) | +15.52% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $59.20 | $84.00 (1,503 ZAR) | +41.89% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $20.72 | $29.40 (526 ZAR) | +41.89% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $13.32 | $18.90 (338 ZAR) | +41.89% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $13.10 | $19.26 (345 ZAR) | +47.02% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $3.67 | $5.39 (96 ZAR) | +46.87% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $7.86 | $11.55 (207 ZAR) | +46.95% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $33.80 | $38.87 (695 ZAR) | +15% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $55.30 | $63.61 (1,138 ZAR) | +15.03% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $65.52 | $96.28 (1,722 ZAR) | +46.95% |
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 more expensive is South Africa than Vietnam?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $833 in South Africa versus $548 in Vietnam — 52.13% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in South Africa?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $2.31 in South Africa (≈ 41.32 ZAR), versus about $1.57 in Vietnam.
- How much is rent in South Africa compared to Vietnam?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $520/month in South Africa versus $318/month in Vietnam (+63.21%). 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.