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Hanoi vs Samarkand cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇻🇳 Hanoi
🇺🇿 Samarkand
At a glance
- Where Samarkand is clearly cheaper: Street food (56%↓), Studio rent (month) (44%↓), Taxi (41%↓)
- Where Hanoi is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (69%↓), Beer (49%↓), Local meal (48%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Samarkand is easier to travel (2.6 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Hanoi 4 vs Samarkand 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Hanoi | Samarkand | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ₫ 70,000$2.66 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Hanoi −48% |
| Street food1 item | ₫ 50,000$1.9 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Samarkand −56% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ₫ 280,000$10.6 | soʻm 160,000$13.5 | Hanoi −21% |
| Coffeeone cup | ₫ 45,000$1.71 | soʻm 27,000$2.28 | Hanoi −25% |
| Beerone bottle | ₫ 25,000$0.95 | soʻm 22,000$1.86 | Hanoi −49% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ₫ 120,000$4.56 | soʻm 50,000$4.23 | Samarkand −7% |
| Bottled water | ₫ 8,000$0.3 | soʻm 3,000$0.25 | Samarkand −17% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ₫ 12,000$0.46 | soʻm 8,000$0.68 | Hanoi −33% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ₫ 75,000$2.85 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | Samarkand −41% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ₫ 25,000$0.95 | soʻm 10,000$0.85 | Samarkand −11% |
| Transitone ride | ₫ 8,000$0.3 | soʻm 2,500$0.21 | Samarkand −30% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ₫ 150,000$5.7 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | Hanoi −33% |
| Hotel night3-star | ₫ 800,000$30.4 | soʻm 600,000$50.8 | Hanoi −40% |
| Studio rent (month) | ₫ 9,500,000$361 | soʻm 2,400,000$203 | Samarkand −44% |
| Laundry | ₫ 30,000$1.14 | soʻm 20,000$1.69 | Hanoi −33% |
| SIM card1 week data | ₫ 220,000$8.37 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Samarkand −39% |
| Haircutcut | ₫ 80,000$3.04 | soʻm 60,000$5.08 | Hanoi −40% |
| Massage1 hour | ₫ 300,000$11.4 | soʻm 200,000$16.9 | Hanoi −33% |
| Half-day tourper person | ₫ 650,000$24.7 | soʻm 240,000$20.3 | Samarkand −18% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ₫ 70,000$2.66 | soʻm 100,000$8.46 | Hanoi −69% |
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, Hanoi or Samarkand?
Hanoi is 16% cheaper than Samarkand. Daily budget $61.4 vs $90.1; a month $1,277 vs $1,159.
Which is easier to travel, Hanoi or Samarkand?
Samarkand is easier: Samarkand 2.6/5 vs Hanoi 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Hanoi and Samarkand?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Hanoi is about $1,277 and Samarkand about $1,159 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.