Explore Cities/Compare Cities/Hanoi vs Semarang

Hanoi vs Semarang

Side-by-side comparison for digital nomads

Semarang 23% cheaper Hanoi +131 Mbps Moderate / Moderate

Hanoi

Harry Tran/Unsplash

Semarang

Supri Yanto/Unsplash

Nomad Cost

$1,078

Hanoi

$825

Semarang

Internet

163

Mbps

Safety

Moderate

Hanoi

Moderate

Semarang

Air Quality

5/5

Hanoi

5/5

Semarang

Healthcare

High

Hanoi

Moderate

Semarang

Population

7.2m

Hanoi

1.6m

Semarang

Hanoi (Vietnam) and Semarang (Indonesia) are both in Asia, offering different takes on the nomad lifestyle. Here is how they compare across the metrics that matter most.

Cost of Living

The monthly savings are substantial — Semarang at $825/mo costs 23% less than Hanoi at $1078/mo, adding up to $3036 over a year.

For families, Hanoi costs $1696.985620559443/mo compared to Semarang's $1605.588646314858/mo.

Internet & Infrastructure

For bandwidth-intensive work, Hanoi has a clear edge at 163 Mbps (#53 globally) compared to Semarang's 32 Mbps (#0).

Quality of Life

Both Hanoi and Semarang share the same safety rating — travelers can feel equally comfortable in either city.

Hanoi offers better healthcare infrastructure than Semarang — an important consideration for longer stays.

Monthly Weather Comparison

The best time to visit Hanoi is November (around 29 degrees, 0mm rain, score 472), while Semarang peaks in July (35 degrees, 0mm rain, score 397). Timing your stay around these months can make a big difference in your experience.

Cost of Living

HanoiSemarang

Nomad$1,078/mo$825/mo

Expat$764/mo$603/mo

Local$485/mo$459/mo

Family$1,697/mo$1,606/mo

Internet & Infrastructure

HanoiSemarang

City Speed

163 Mbps#53

32 Mbps

Country Speed164 Mbps32 Mbps

Environment & Health

HanoiSemarang

Air Quality Score5/55/5

PollutionHighModerate

ClimateHighModerate

Humidity5988

Quality of Life

HanoiSemarang

SafetyModerateModerate

HealthcareHighModerate

Monthly Weather Comparison

Hanoi

Semarang

Jan

23°

1mm390

34°

8mm237

Feb

25°

1mm410

35°

5mm222

Mar

29°

1mm448

36°

6mm253

Apr

37°

0mm438

37°

5mm319

May

37°

6mm369

37°

1mm373

Jun

41°

8mm364

36°

1mm368

Jul

39°

9mm241

35°

0mm397

Aug

41°

4mm349

36°

0mm397

Sep

37°

14mm269

36°

0mm397

Oct

33°

0mm469

37°

0mm382

Nov

29°

0mm472

36°

7mm319

Dec

21°

0mm452

34°

15mm207

Who Should Choose Hanoi?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $1078
Excellent for video calls and large uploads with 163 Mbps
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $1696.985620559443/mo for families
Major city energy with 7.2m residents
Peak season in November — 29 degrees, score 472

Who Should Choose Semarang?

Great for budget nomads — monthly costs around $825
Clean air with a 5/5 air quality score
Family-friendly at $1605.588646314858/mo for families
Peak season in July — 35 degrees, score 397

Overall Verdict

The data favors Hanoi as the more well-rounded choice. At $1078/mo versus Semarang's $825/mo, that is a 23% saving that adds up significantly on an extended stay.

Granular Price Comparison

Hanoi Semarang

ItemHanoiSemarangDiff

🍽️Restaurants8 items

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$2.04$1.3

36%

Meal for 2, mid-range (3-course)$19.9$9.72

51%

McMeal or equivalent combo$5.3$3.24

39%

Cappuccino (regular)$1.91$1.34

30%

Domestic beer (0.5L draught)$0.82$2.48

67%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.63$2.59

37%

Coke/Pepsi (0.33L)$0.43$0.42

Water (0.33L)$0.27$0.2

26%

🛒Markets19 items

Milk (1L)$1.36$1.13

17%

White bread (500g)$0.92$0.97

White rice (1kg)$1$0.81

19%

Eggs (12)$1.49$1.29

13%

Chicken fillets (1kg)$3.48$2.96

15%

Beef round (1kg)$10.5$7.24

31%

Local cheese (1kg)$10.59$6.15

42%

Apples (1kg)$2.74$2.3

16%

Bananas (1kg)$1.09$1.3

16%

Oranges (1kg)$1.52$1.15

24%

Tomatoes (1kg)$1.18$0.86

27%

Potatoes (1kg)$0.99$1.15

14%

Onions (1kg)$1.19$1.38

14%

Lettuce (1 head)$0.8$0.55

31%

Water (1.5L bottle)$0.6$0.36

40%

Wine, mid-range bottle$6.12$12.15

50%

Domestic beer (0.5L bottle)$0.82$2.03

60%

Imported beer (0.33L bottle)$1.56$2.98

48%

Cigarettes (pack of 20)$1.43$1.94

26%

🚌Transport8 items

One-way local transport ticket$0.29$0.23

21%

Monthly transport pass$8.16$18.18

55%

Taxi start (normal tariff)$0.65$0.58

11%

Taxi per 1km$0.49$0.32

35%

Taxi 1hr waiting$3.26$2.11

35%

Gasoline (1L)$1.11$0.79

29%

Volkswagen Golf (new)$40,795.51$23,334.86

43%

Toyota Corolla (new)$32,899.31$27,914.38

15%

⚡Utilities3 items

Utilities, 85m² apartment/mo$74.36$40.19

46%

Internet 60+ Mbps/mo$9.66$28.38

66%

Mobile prepaid per minute$0.09$0.1

10%

🏋️Sport & Leisure3 items

Fitness club, monthly$25.41$29.17

13%

Tennis court rent (1hr weekend)$6.94$12.15

43%

Cinema, 1 ticket$4.08$3.24

21%

👶Childcare2 items

Preschool, full-day private/mo$241.37$75.62

69%

International primary school/yr$12,070.22$6,009.65

50%

👗Clothing4 items

Jeans (Levi's 501 or similar)$34.45$32.39

Summer dress (chain store)$29.14$22.69

22%

Nike running shoes (mid-range)$72.53$64.82

11%

Men's leather business shoes$59.97$37.81

37%

🏠Rent4 items

1-bedroom apartment, city centre$329.82$259.28

21%

1-bedroom apartment, outside centre$206.7$194.46

3-bedroom apartment, city centre$865.47$680.6

21%

3-bedroom apartment, outside centre$458.27$550.96

17%

🏗️Buy2 items

Price per m², city centre$2,255.75$1,215.36

46%

Price per m², outside centre$1,285.06$378.11

71%

💰Finance2 items

Average monthly net salary$510.15$269

47%

Mortgage interest rate (20yr fixed)$9.86$8.69

12%

Lower is better for all cost items.

Data from Open-Meteo (weather) and global internet speed rankings. Updated monthly.

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