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Cairo vs Hanoi cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ช๐ฌ Cairo
๐ป๐ณ Hanoi
At a glance
- Where Hanoi is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (81%โ), Beer (64%โ), Scooter rental (53%โ)
- Where Cairo is clearly cheaper: Taxi (43%โ), Street food (36%โ), Studio rent (month) (32%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Cairo 5 vs Hanoi 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cairo | Hanoi | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | Eยฃ 220$4.49 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Hanoi โ41% |
| Street food1 item | Eยฃ 60$1.22 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Cairo โ36% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | Eยฃ 450$9.18 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Cairo โ14% |
| Coffeeone cup | Eยฃ 120$2.45 | โซ 45,000$1.71 | Hanoi โ30% |
| Beerone bottle | Eยฃ 130$2.65 | โซ 25,000$0.95 | Hanoi โ64% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Hanoi โ36% |
| Bottled water | Eยฃ 12$0.24 | โซ 8,000$0.3 | Cairo โ19% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | Eยฃ 20$0.41 | โซ 12,000$0.46 | Cairo โ11% |
| Taxi5 km in town | Eยฃ 80$1.63 | โซ 75,000$2.85 | Cairo โ43% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โซ 25,000$0.95 | Hanoi โ7% |
| Transitone ride | Eยฃ 15$0.31 | โซ 8,000$0.3 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | Eยฃ 600$12.2 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Hanoi โ53% |
| Hotel night3-star | Eยฃ 3,000$61.2 | โซ 800,000$30.4 | Hanoi โ50% |
| Studio rent (month) | Eยฃ 12,000$245 | โซ 9,500,000$361 | Cairo โ32% |
| Laundry | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Cairo โ11% |
| SIM card1 week data | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โซ 220,000$8.37 | Cairo โ15% |
| Haircutcut | Eยฃ 150$3.06 | โซ 80,000$3.04 | similar |
| Massage1 hour | Eยฃ 800$16.3 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Hanoi โ30% |
| Half-day tourper person | Eยฃ 1,500$30.6 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Hanoi โ19% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | Eยฃ 700$14.3 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Hanoi โ81% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cairo or Hanoi?
Hanoi is 10% cheaper than Cairo. Daily budget $93.8 vs $61.4; a month $1,117 vs $1,277.
Which is easier to travel, Cairo or Hanoi?
About the same: Cairo 3.4/5, Hanoi 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cairo and Hanoi?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cairo is about $1,117 and Hanoi about $1,277 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.