One Month’s Spend for Travelers, Retirees and Nomads
When I decided to travel the world full-time, I set a monthly budget for myself of $1600 Canadian dollars (about $1,200 USD) per month. I know that it will vary depending on where I am in the world, but I plan to stick to it as best I can and hope it all evens out in the end. This Blog Post is only to give you a general idea of what to expect for a long term stay in Hanoi. Your expenses could be much lower or higher than mine depending on your style of living.
All figures below will be in US dollars.
Let’s see how my cost of living compares to my budget:
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Cost of Living in Hanoi
While I have had a strong desire to visit Vietnam for more than 3 decades, Hanoi was always the centre of that thought process for me. I loved Danang, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue but Hanoi is on another level for me. Maybe it is where I stayed though in Ngọc Hà as opposed to the more tourist friendly Old Quarter. Had I stayed there I might have a different view after my tourist trap visit to Danang.
Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and was also the capital of North Vietnam during the war against the Americans. The city proudly stands today as a symbol of resilience of the Vietnamese people to unify their country. It’s also home to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The final resting place of the revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. This iconic landmark is a constant reminder of the countries struggle for freedom.
Today, you still get a feel for old Vietnam mixed with new bustling skyscapers and business districts. I instantly fell in love with this city and I am already planning a return as soon as I can. Now let’s break down my 4 weeks spent in the glorious city.
Accommodations
As with everything in Hanoi, I loved this place. To start with, the neighborhood is perfect. I don’t think most westerners would like it very much as the area of Ngọc Hà I stayed in is located down a narrow alley but it suited me perfectly. The small alley is lined with shops all around and motorbikes are whizzing past pedestrians non stop. You treat the alley’s the same as any major road you’re walking across in Vietnam. Keep walking, they know how to avoid you. The chaos that surrounded me daily was like a little touch of heaven. And the bonus is the amazing food where you can’t walk more than 10 metres without running into something tasty.
My AirBnb host and the unit were both amazing. She spoke zero English and every conversation we had was through google translate but she was the sweetest woman in the world. Awesome recommendations for food within the alleys and she cleaned the room regularly. She goes out of her way to make sure you are comfortable.
The unit was a large studio unit with a full kitchen and bath, work station and washing machine. The bed was extremely comfortable and the unit overall was extremely clean.
Free Filtered Water
You get used to buying bottled water as a full time traveler, so I was pleasantly surprised to find free filtered water for the units. Seriously, a full blown reverse osmosis system in the building with each floor having it’s own water filling station
One thing to mention that may be a turn off for some is the units are located above the hosts shop. She is a seamstress and works all day long on the ground floor. It doesn’t both me at all and I only hoped I wasn’t disturbing her or her business when I would leave during the day. Added bonus, she has installed an elevator in the building to accommodate the couple of units she has.The price listed below is all inclusive of internet and electricity.
Check out the unit here. My house has four clean, quiet rooms. R2
Total cost for accommodation for the month: $432
Looking for short term accommodations? Check these great deals:
- Luxury Accommodations: – Dolce by Wyndham Hanoi Golden Lake – Get the celebrity treatment with world-class service at Dolce by Wyndham Hanoi Golden Lake. Infinity pool is awesome, Wonderful Views of the city. Top notch Experience.
- Mid-Range Accommodations: – Lotte Hotel Hanoi – Strategically located in Hanoi, Lotte Hotel Hanoi offers modern and luxurious accommodations with free WiFi access throughout the property. It features an outdoor pool, indoor pool, a fitness center, sauna facility and free parking on site.
- Budget Accommodations: – Alula Sweet Home – All guest rooms features air conditioning, a microwave, a fridge, a coffee machine, a bath, slippers and a desk. Every room has a closet and a flat-screen TV, and certain units at the hotel have a balcony.
Or check here for the latest deals on Booking.com
Read Cost of Living in Danang, Vietnam
Cost of Living in Hanoi – Activities
One thing I did this month was film a video with a Chef’s tour. They operate food tours all over Asia and a few countries in Africa and South America. If you have never been on one of their food tours, I highly recommend it. They are unlike anything else you will experience in a food tour. As the name suggests, all of these tours were designed by chef’s and they take you to off the beaten path locations and feature food that doesn’t pander to the western palate. And trust me when I say there tours feature a ton of food.
This was the 3rd city I have done one of their tours and this one only cost me $10 as it was complimentary from the company. If you’re interested in booking this tour, have a look at their Hanoi Dawn Food Tour. Be warned, this tour starts at 4:00am at Hanoi’s busiest market.
Total Cost for Activities for the month: $10
Bonus Activity:
Normally I don’t include things like this in my Cost of Living articles but I figured some of you might be interested. I had some extra time on my visa after completing my 28 days in Hanoi and I wanted to stay in Vietnam as long as I could, so Em and I decided to spend a few days in Ninh Binh. We hired a semi-private van for the trip to Ninh Binh, stayed in an amazing homestay while we were there, filmed a food tour, spent a day at the Bai Dinh temple complex and got to relax quite a bit.
We also had to hire the van again to return to Hanoi where we would stay one more night in a hotel before having to leave the country. This cost us a total of $312 for 4 nights in Nihh Binh. It includes round trip transportation from Hanoi, the food tour I filmed, Bai Dinh Temple, grabs around Ninh Binh and additional food and alcohol at our homestay.
On our return to Hanoi, we had to get a hotel for one night, some food and a grab to get to the airport. This cost us an additional $31. Giving us a total of $343 for our time in Ninh Binh and an additional night in Hanoi. Stay tuned to the Blog for posts coming about our time in Ninh Binh.
Have a Look at my Hanoi Food Tour With A Chef’s Tour:
Looking for Other Hanoi Food Tours?
- Hanoi By Night Foodie Motorbike Tours – Taste your way through Vietnam’s capital city on this nighttime excursion. After a convenient hotel pickup, hop on a motorbike and savour complimentary dishes like Banh Cuon (steamed roll cake), Bun Cha (grilled pork with vermicelli noodles), and Banh ran Ngot (salty and sweet donuts)
- Hanoi Old Quarter Walking Street Food – Sample authentic dishes and learn about Vietnamese cuisine as you discover the traditional guilds of ‘36 Old Streets.’ Plus, you can upgrade to add an egg coffee class or visit to the famous Train Street to your itinerary.
- Hanoi Street Food Tour with a Real Foodie – Navigating Hanoi’s busy streets on your own can be challenging, but on this food walking tour, you just need to follow your guide to tasty spots.
Dining and Restaurants
The food in Hanoi ranks right up there with my overall experience of the city. Amazing! If I learned one thing in Vietnam about the food it’s that flavour profiles are distinctly different from north to central to south. The south tends to be a bit sweeter whereas the central tends to be a bit more spicy. The north is said to be more salty, but I found the north tends to have a more balanced flavour profile than either the central or south.
Loved everything about the food here and look forward to returning to try even more. Some of my favourites were Bun Cha, Banh Thit Cuong and Cha Ca. All are unbelievably delicious
This category includes dining out, grab deliveries and the four food tours I filmed in Hanoi. Prices ranged anywhere from $3-$20 per meal and I would say averaged around $5. If your meal is expensive, you have either chosen western style food or you’re in a tourist trap or at a high end restaurant.
Total Cost for Dining out for One Month: $212
Epic Hanoi Food Tour with a Local
Cost of Living in Hanoi – Groceries
I really want to say more for some of these categories, but street food is so cheap, going to a grocery store makes zero sense. This category includes some odd snacks to have around the AirBnb and toiletries. None of which were bought at a conventional “grocery store”. They were more like village supply stores.
Total Cost for Groceries for the Month: $22
Cell Phones
One final time I topped up my Viettel sim card I purchased when I arrived in country with unlimited data for an additional 30 days.
Total Cost for Phone and Data for one Month: $8
Transportation
My transportation included Grab rides to and from the airport, and a few miscellaneous ones when it was just too hot to be walking for 45 minutes or more. I also used grab bike on a few occasions for shorter distances.
Total cost for Transportation for One Month: $47
Looking for fun things to do in Hanoi? Check out some of these tours from Viator
Visas
As a US passport holder I had to have a visa to enter the country. You can apply for an Vietnam Evisa online and there is only one location you should use. The link provided here is the only official link to apply for an Evisa through the Vietnamese government. Everything else you will find is either a scam or an agent that will charge you a lot more. Be sure to take your time and plan well in advance. Any errors on your Evisa application will be denied and non-refundable. Meaning you will have to start the process all over again and pay for it again.
My Evisa was very straight forward and easy to do and I had an approved Evisa with 5 business days. I experienced zero issues, but I have read that some visas are approved even when there is a minor error. Maybe your fault, maybe the fault of the Vietnamese government. This WILL result in being denied entry into the country. Even if you are approved be sure to read it thoroughly to check for errors. Some of the stories I have read are first name and middle name in the wrong order and people have been denied entry. If you’re worried about this, hire an agent and pay the extra fee for them to deal with it.
A final note is Evisa’s can be valid for either 30 or 90 days. Mine was obviously 90 days and I used every possible day I could.
Total Cost for Visa for one month: $0 as the one time fee of $35 was included in my Cost of Living in Ho Chi Ming City Blog Post
Miscellaneous Expenses
This category covers everything that’s not included above. I include alcohol in miscellaneous, because I do enjoy a beer from time to time while hanging around the Airbnb. You might not drink and if you are planning a budget you can easily omit this cost. This month I also got a haircut and bought a new pair of sandals. The sandals accounted for 61% of this budget. It’s worth noting that while I have cut back on drinking, I haven’t cut back that much. Beer is extremely inexpensive in Vietnam. They are a proud drinking culture and it is reflected in alcohol prices.
Total Miscellaneous Costs for one month: $96
One thing I can’t live without while on the road full time – Saves me lots of money too!
Cost of Living in Hanoi – Totals
Cost of Living in Hanoi, Vietnam
Looking at the table above, you can see I am well under budget this month. Vietnam is an unbelievably inexpensive location to spend a significant amount of time. My $827 works out to almost $1,138 CAD keeping me in the clear here. Money is quickly running out though, so If you have a job that I can do remotely from anywhere in the world, send me a message😁. However, this confirms what I always knew, it is cheaper to live abroad than living back in North America. If you would like to help support Pure Detour you can do so at: Buy Me A Coffee
Have you lived in Hanoi for any length of time? Were your numbers similar to my cost of living in Hanoi for one month? Do you have any other tips for potential travelers? Leave a comment and let me know. I would love to hear from you
