By the Vietnam Expat team. Last reviewed 2026-09-22We priced a Hanoi grocery basket and utility bill item by item from published tariffs and crowd prices [2][3][6], so you can see what sits behind each total.
Dollars use Vietcombank's transfer rate of 25,820 dong on 21 September 2026 [1]. Crowd grocery and utility prices come from Numbeo's Hanoi page, read from an Internet Archive copy of 16 June 2026, which rests on 871 entries from 88 contributors [2].
Vietnam's National Statistics Office recorded a 4.89 percent nationwide rise in consumer prices for the twelve months to August 2026, with eating out up 7.78 percent. Hanoi's own housing, power and water group barely moved, up 0.07 percent that month against July [12].
Our monthly figures assume one adult cooks most meals. A couple counts as two adult portions and a family of four as three, and every quantity is our own assumption, not a household survey.
How much do groceries cost each month in Hanoi?
A reference week of food for one adult costs 674,053 dong, so groceries run about 2.92 million dong a month (113 US dollars [1]) on our estimate from Numbeo's Hanoi averages [2].
The week covers 14 items Numbeo prices for Hanoi [2]. Quantities are our own assumption, so read the total as a planning estimate, not a receipt.
| Item [2] | Amount a week | Numbeo average, dong | Week cost, dong |
|---|---|---|---|
| White rice. | 1 kg | 21,385 | 21,385 |
| Eggs. | 12 | 37,600 | 37,600 |
| Chicken fillets. | 1 kg | 98,458 | 98,458 |
| Beef, round. | 0.5 kg | 256,893 a kg | 128,447 |
| Milk. | 2 liters | 38,214 a liter | 76,429 |
| Bread, 500 g loaf. | 2 loaves | 24,945 | 49,890 |
| Tomatoes. | 1 kg | 29,213 | 29,213 |
| Potatoes. | 1 kg | 24,236 | 24,236 |
| Onions. | 0.5 kg | 27,673 a kg | 13,836 |
| Lettuce. | 2 heads | 16,389 | 32,778 |
| Bananas. | 1 kg | 28,167 | 28,167 |
| Oranges. | 1 kg | 35,377 | 35,377 |
| Apples. | 0.5 kg | 85,092 a kg | 42,546 |
| Bottled water, 1.5 liter. | 4 bottles | 13,923 | 55,692 |
| Total for one adult. | 14 items | none | 674,053 |
Source: Numbeo, Hanoi cost of living page [2], Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-16, last update 15 June 2026. Each week cost is the amount times the average price, our arithmetic.
Two adult portions bring a couple to about 5.84 million dong a month, and three portions bring a family of four to about 8.76 million, on the same per-item math [2].
The basket leaves out pork, fish, cooking oil, spices, coffee, snacks and household goods, since Numbeo's Hanoi Markets list carries no price for them [2]. A real month will run higher once those are added.
Is Hanoi cheaper than Da Nang for the same basket?
Pricing the identical 14 items and quantities that our Da Nang groceries page uses, Hanoi's week comes to 674,053 dong [2] against Da Nang's own reported 720,247, about 6.4 percent lower. Both readings are Numbeo crowd averages from 2026, taken about three months apart, so treat the gap as a rough signal.
Do published grocery budgets match Hanoi's real prices?
Not cleanly. A travel blog, updated in July 2026, reports a couple's spending of about 80 euros a month on groceries and under 15 euros on electricity with light air conditioning use, during a two-month stay in Hanoi [15]. We have no sourced euro exchange rate, so neither figure is directly comparable to our dollar totals.
Nomads.com's Hanoi page, current as of 22 September 2026, has no grocery figure of its own. The word appears only inside the description of a bundled local cost of living total, not as its own line item. Its broader nomad and expat totals run 1,281 and 984 US dollars a month [14].
What do Hanoi groceries cost when you eat out instead?
An inexpensive restaurant meal costs 55,000 dong (2.13 US dollars [1]) and a mid-range dinner for two costs 500,000 dong, on Numbeo's Hanoi averages [2].
| Item [2] | Average, dong |
|---|---|
| Meal at an inexpensive restaurant. | 55,000 |
| Mid-range dinner for two, three courses, no drinks. | 500,000 |
| Combo meal at McDonald's or similar. | 119,000 |
| Cappuccino, regular size. | 48,383 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 liter bottle. | 23,496 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 liter bottle. | 43,165 |
Source: Numbeo, Hanoi cost of living page [2], Internet Archive copy of 2026-06-16.
The reference week of groceries buys about 12 inexpensive restaurant meals, by our arithmetic. Spread across 21 meals in a week, home cooking works out to roughly 32,100 dong a meal, cheaper than every price in the table above except a domestic beer [2].
Are wet markets cheaper than supermarkets in Hanoi?
Likely, though we found no survey of Hanoi grocery prices by shop type to confirm it. A national shopping guide, published in May 2026, puts wet market produce, meat and eggs 10 to 20 percent below supermarket prices, with the gap on some items reaching 20 to 40 percent [16].
That guide covers Vietnam generally, not Hanoi specifically, and it says weekend promotions at the domestic supermarket chains it names can bring prices close to market rates [16].
How much is the electricity bill in a Hanoi apartment?
A flat using 300 kWh a month pays 739,500 dong before VAT on EVN's household tariff, or 798,660 dong with 8 percent VAT (30.93 US dollars [1]), by our estimate [3][4].
EVN prices household power in six tiers, from 1,984 dong per kWh for the first 50 kWh to 3,460 dong above 400 kWh, before VAT, under Decision 1279/QD-BCT of the Ministry of Industry and Trade [3][4].
Resolution 204/2025/QH15 cuts VAT from 10 to 8 percent from 1 July 2025 to 31 December 2026 for most goods and services, and its exclusion list does not name electricity [5].
| Monthly use | EVN tiers, before VAT [3][4] | With 8 percent VAT [5] |
|---|---|---|
| 150 kWh. | 320,700 | 346,356 |
| 300 kWh. | 739,500 | 798,660 |
| 450 kWh. | 1,247,500 | 1,347,300 |
| 600 kWh. | 1,766,500 | 1,907,820 |
Source: EVN tariff under Decision 1279/QD-BCT [3][4], VAT under Resolution 204/2025/QH15 [5], checked 2026-09-21. Sums are our arithmetic.
What electricity rate applies if you rent for under a year?
EVN's tariff page carries a rule for students and workers renting a home. On a lease under 12 months, if the landlord has not declared every occupant, the whole meter is billed at the tier 3 rate of 2,380 dong per kWh [3].
Once the landlord declares occupants using a temporary residence book or a police confirmation, every four people count as one household for the tier allowance [3]. By our arithmetic, that flat rate beats the tiered bill above roughly 259 kWh a month.
Does Hanoi's cold season change the electricity bill?
It can. Average temperatures in Hanoi drop below 18 degrees C in January [21].
EVN's own figures don't cover heaters directly. This estimate borrows EVN's figure for a common home air conditioner as a stand-in: 6 to 8 hours a night uses 6 to 12 kWh, so 30 nights add 180 to 360 kWh on top of the 300 kWh baseline above [3][13].
That addition doesn't get a fresh bill from the first tier. EVN bills it at the top two tiers already in force above 300 kWh, so it costs about 661,000 to 1,333,000 dong with VAT, by our arithmetic [3][13].
What does water cost in a Hanoi apartment?
Water stays a small line next to electricity. HAWACOM's household tiers run 8,500 dong per cubic meter for the first 10, 9,900 up to 20, 16,000 up to 30, and 27,000 above that, effective 1 January 2026 [6][7].
| Monthly use | HAWACOM tiers, dong [6] |
|---|---|
| 4 cubic meters. | 34,000 |
| 8 cubic meters. | 68,000 |
| 16 cubic meters. | 144,400 |
| 20 cubic meters. | 184,000 |
Source: HAWACOM [6], legal basis reported by the Government Policy News Portal [7], checked 2026-09-21. Sums are our arithmetic.
These prices leave out VAT and the wastewater environmental fee, which HAWACOM's own price list does not state [6]. Da Nang's own water company prices its first tier at 4,550 dong per cubic meter with VAT included, lower than Hanoi's 8,500, though the two lists are not built the same way [19].
How much is cooking gas in Hanoi?
PV GAS lists 656,404 dong for a 12 kg cylinder and 2,461,515 dong for a 45 kg cylinder on its Hanoi page, under a heading for November 2026 [10]. The small cylinder works out to about 25.42 US dollars [1].
That is cheaper than PV GAS's own Da Nang price of 769,656 dong for the same 12 kg size, also under a heading for November 2026 [18]. Neither page's price list mentions VAT anywhere in its text [10][18].
PetroVietnam Gas South's own service area runs from Ca Mau to Nghe An, not as far north as Hanoi. Its household guide cites gas company surveys showing a family of four to six people typically takes two to three months to finish one 12 kg cylinder, a general estimate rather than a Hanoi measurement [22].
Applied to Hanoi's price, that comes to about 219,000 to 328,000 dong a month, by our arithmetic [10][22].
How much is trash collection in Hanoi now?
Hanoi just replaced its old flat monthly trash charge with a fee tied to the number of people in the home. From the first quarter of 2026, ward households pay 10,000 to 30,000 dong per person a month depending on the period, through 2027, and rural commune households pay 8,000 to 17,000 dong [11].
| Household size | Ward rate, dong a month [11] |
|---|---|
| One person. | 10,000 to 30,000 |
| Two people. | 20,000 to 60,000 |
| Four people. | 40,000 to 120,000 |
Source: Government Portal, Hanoi channel [11], checked 2026-09-22. Sums are our arithmetic from the per-person rate; the source gives one range for the whole 2026 to 2027 period and does not break it down by year.
The change repeals part of Decision 54/2016/QD-UBND, the old flat-rate rule. The city cites about 7,500 tons of household waste a day as the reason for moving toward a fee tied to actual use [11].
We could not confirm the new decision's own number at a primary source we could open, so it is left out rather than guessed. For comparison, Da Nang's city portal lists a flat monthly maximum of 15,000 to 30,000 dong by dwelling type, dated 2017 [20].
What do internet, mobile data and the building fee cost?
FPT Telecom's August 2026 price list starts home fiber at 195,000 dong a month for 300 Mbps and says prices can vary by installation area [8].
| Bill | Amount, dong a month | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Home fiber, 300 Mbps. | 195,000 [8] | Published. |
| Broadband, 60 Mbps or higher. | 234,049 [2] | Crowd. |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB or more. | 141,923 [2] | Crowd. |
| Mobile data, about 10 GB. | 180,740, from 7 US dollars [14] | Guide. |
| Apartment service charge, 45 m2, with a lift. | 54,000 to 742,500 [9] | Published frame. |
| Apartment service charge, 45 m2, without a lift. | 31,500 to 225,000 [9] | Published frame. |
Source: FPT Telecom [8], Numbeo [2], Nomads.com [14], Government Policy News Portal on Hanoi Decision 25/2026/QD-UBND [9], checked 2026-09-22.
Is the building management fee a utility bill?
No, it is a separate charge from the building itself. Hanoi's Decision 25/2026/QD-UBND, in force from 23 February 2026, sets a frame of 1,200 to 16,500 dong per square meter a month with a lift and 700 to 5,000 without [9].
That fee leaves out fire insurance, management board pay and premium services such as a pool or included cable television [9].
What does a full month of groceries and bills cost?
One person spends about 4.15 million dong (161 US dollars [1]) a month on groceries and bills, a couple about 7.87 million (305 dollars), and a family of four about 11.73 million (454 dollars), by our estimate.
| Household | Groceries [2] | Electricity [3][5] | Water [6] | Internet, phone, trash [2][8][11] | Gas [10] | Total, million dong | US dollars [1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One person. | 2.92 | 0.80 | 0.07 | 0.37 | None. | 4.15 | 161 |
| Couple. | 5.84 | 1.35 | 0.14 | 0.54 | None. | 7.87 | 305 |
| Family of four. | 8.76 | 1.91 | 0.18 | 0.60 | 0.27 | 11.73 | 454 |
Source: our arithmetic from Numbeo [2], EVN [3][5], HAWACOM [6], FPT Telecom [8], the Government Portal waste fee report [11] and PV GAS [10], read 2026-09-22. Dollars at 25,820 dong [1].
Electricity assumes 300, 450 and 600 kWh on EVN's tiers with 8 percent VAT [3][5]. Water assumes 8, 16 and 20 cubic meters [6].
Phone counts one Numbeo mobile plan for one person and two for the couple and the family [2]. Trash uses the top of the confirmed per-person range for each household size, and the family row adds gas at the midpoint of the range above [11].
These totals leave out rent, eating out, transport, school and health cover. For the fuller picture, see our full Hanoi cost of living breakdown.
How far does a hundred US dollars go on groceries and bills in Hanoi?
One hundred dollars converts to 2,582,000 dong at Vietcombank's rate [1]. That covers about 3.8 weeks of the grocery reference basket above, or close to 88 percent of one adult's full month of groceries alone, before any bill [1][2].
Against the complete one-person total with electricity, water, trash and internet, 100 dollars covers about 62 percent [1].
Is five hundred US dollars enough for a month of groceries and bills in Hanoi?
By our estimate, yes for all three households priced here. Five hundred dollars converts to 12,910,000 dong, enough to cover a family of four's entire month of groceries and utilities, 11.73 million dong, with money left over [1].
That is about three times what one person spends and about 1.6 times a couple's 7.87 million dong total [1].
Is the advertised Hanoi lifestyle budget real?
For groceries and utilities specifically, most of these figures do not compare cleanly against our estimate. Two are priced in a currency we have no sourced exchange rate for, and two are broader cost of living totals with a scope the source does not publish.
One is a nationwide percentage we could not confirm for Hanoi. Only the mobile data figure compares directly, and our crowd figure runs about 1.50 dollars lower [1][2][14].
| Advertised line | Advertised figure | Our estimate | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly groceries, a couple [15]. | About 80 euros | 226 dollars, a couple's groceries | Different currency; not directly comparable. |
| Full expat cost of living [14]. | 984 US dollars | 161 dollars, one person's groceries and bills only | A broader total; scope not published. |
| Full nomad cost of living [14]. | 1,281 US dollars | 161 dollars, one person's groceries and bills only | Also broader; scope not published. |
| Electricity with light air conditioning use [15]. | Under 15 euros a month | 346,356 dong at 150 kWh (about 13 dollars) | Also euros; not comparable without a rate. |
| Mobile data, about 10 GB [14]. | 7 US dollars | 141,923 dong for calls plus 10 GB (about 5.50 dollars) | Comparable; ours about 1.50 dollars lower, plan details differ. |
| Wet market savings versus supermarkets, nationwide [16]. | 10 to 20 percent, up to 40 on some produce | Not separately measured for Hanoi | Plausible, unconfirmed locally. |
Source: Curious Sparrow Travel [15], Nomads.com [14] and Uptravel Vietnam [16], all read 2026-09-22, against our estimates from rows above.
Ask what a number includes before comparing it to your own budget.
What pushes a Hanoi grocery or utility bill higher?
Season, household size and lease terms all move Hanoi utility bills, and one rule change already has an end date.
Which prices and rules are changing next?
Nationally, eating out rose 7.78 percent in the year to August 2026, while Hanoi's own housing, power and water group barely moved, up 0.07 percent on July [12].
Resolution 204/2025/QH15 sets its 8 percent VAT rate to end on 31 December 2026, and this page applies that rate to each Hanoi electricity bill it estimates [5]. If the rate returns to 10 percent, a 300 kWh bill would rise from 798,660 to about 813,450 dong, by our arithmetic on the same tiers [3][5].
Decree 278/2026/ND-CP, issued 9 July 2026, lets EVN skip a price change when the calculated shift is under 2 percent up or 1 percent down [17]. Hanoi's trash fee is also mid-change, rising in steps through 2027 rather than in one jump [11].
How do you check your own Hanoi bills before signing a lease?
Four checks can change a number on this page.
- Ask for the last three electricity bills and the current meter reading, then divide dong by kWh to see your real rate against the 1,984 to 3,460 dong tiers [3][4].
- Confirm whether the landlord has declared every occupant to EVN, since an undeclared short lease bills the whole meter at 2,380 dong per kWh [3].
- Check how water is billed, by a HAWACOM meter at 8,500 dong per cubic meter for the first 10 or at a separate landlord rate [6].
- Ask how trash is charged now that Hanoi has moved to a per-person fee, since a household bill built before 2026 may still show the old flat rate [11].