Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Hakodate is easier to travel (2.2 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Hakodate 2 vs Hanoi 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Hakodate | Hanoi | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ยฅ 1,100$7.43 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Hanoi โ64% |
| Street food1 item | ยฅ 600$4.05 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Hanoi โ53% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ยฅ 4,000$27 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Hanoi โ61% |
| Coffeeone cup | ยฅ 550$3.72 | โซ 45,000$1.71 | Hanoi โ54% |
| Beerone bottle | ยฅ 600$4.05 | โซ 25,000$0.95 | Hanoi โ77% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ยฅ 700$4.73 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | similar |
| Bottled water | ยฅ 120$0.81 | โซ 8,000$0.3 | Hanoi โ62% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ยฅ 180$1.22 | โซ 12,000$0.46 | Hanoi โ62% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ยฅ 2,200$14.9 | โซ 75,000$2.85 | Hanoi โ81% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | โซ 25,000$0.95 | Hanoi โ86% |
| Transitone ride | ยฅ 250$1.69 | โซ 8,000$0.3 | Hanoi โ82% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ยฅ 2,000$13.5 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Hanoi โ58% |
| Hotel night3-star | ยฅ 12,000$81.1 | โซ 800,000$30.4 | Hanoi โ62% |
| Studio rent (month) | ยฅ 50,000$338 | โซ 9,500,000$361 | Hakodate โ6% |
| Laundry | ยฅ 900$6.08 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Hanoi โ81% |
| SIM card1 week data | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | โซ 220,000$8.37 | Hanoi โ59% |
| Haircutcut | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | โซ 80,000$3.04 | Hanoi โ85% |
| Massage1 hour | ยฅ 6,000$40.5 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Hanoi โ72% |
| Half-day tourper person | ยฅ 3,500$23.6 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ยฅ 1,800$12.2 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Hanoi โ78% |
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%+.
Hanoi is 55% cheaper than Hakodate. Daily budget $181 vs $61.4; a month $2,297 vs $1,277.
Hakodate is easier: Hakodate 2.2/5 vs Hanoi 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Hakodate is about $2,297 and Hanoi about $1,277 per month.
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.