🇬🇧 United Kingdom vs 🇻🇳 Vietnam
Side by side on the data that actually changes your life: prices, taxes, climate, air, safety. Every number has a source and a date.
Climate (capital)
Open-Meteo historical weather
—
Jan 18° · Jul 29° · Hanoi
Sunny days (capital)
Open-Meteo, days with over 4.5h of sunshine
—
256 days / yr
Air quality (capital)
WAQI, capital station
AQI 35 · Good
AQI 75 · Moderate
Big Mac price
The Economist Big Mac index (euro-area countries share one euro-area price)
$7.08
$2.89
Living costs · single, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$950–$1,400 / mo
—
Living costs · family of four, excl. rent (capital)
Reloka cost research, excludes rent
$3,400–$4,400 / mo
—
Employment taxes (not your rate)
OECD tax wedge, single average worker
~32% of what a job costs goes to tax (2025)
—
Special tax regimes
Official tax authorities, verified June 2026
4-year FIG regime (ex non-dom)
None curated
Inflation
World Bank
3.9% / yr (2025)
3.3% / yr (2025)
Unemployment
World Bank, ILO-modelled estimate
4.8% (2025)
1.5% (2025)
Internet (median fixed)
Ookla Speedtest Global Index
~120 Mbps
—
English proficiency
EF English Proficiency Index
native
—
Messenger apps
OONI network measurements, last 6 months
No known issues
No known issues
Safety advisory
U.S. State Department travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Level 1 · Exercise Normal Precautions
Population
World Bank total population
69.5M (2025)
101.6M (2025)
Population density
World Bank, people per km²
283 / km² (2023)
320 / km² (2023)
Foreign-born residents
World Bank migrant stock
17.1% of population (2024)
0.3% of population (2024)
Life expectancy
WHO
80 yrs
74 yrs
Currency
ISO 4217
GBP
VND
Timezone (capital)
Open-Meteo
UTC+1
UTC+7
Legal
Crypto-friendly
Short-term gains
24%
10%
Long-term gains
18%
10%
Long-term holding period
—
—
Staking income
45%
35%
Mining income
45%
35%
General rates, not personal tax advice.
Climate, inflation and life expectancy verified 12 July 2026. Prices, taxes and air quality verified 7 July 2026. Sources shown per row.
Bottom line: which should you choose?
Pick 🇻🇳 Vietnam if you want
lower day-to-day costs and a stronger safety rating.
Based only on the sourced metrics above. Visa eligibility and paperwork depend on your passport — build a free plan for the full picture.
Frequently asked questions
Is United Kingdom or Vietnam cheaper?
Vietnam is the cheaper of the two on our comparable cost measure (Big Mac $2.89 vs $7.08). Your real cost depends on the city and lifestyle — see the full table above, then generate a free plan for a budget matched to your exact move.
Special tax regimes, verified
Regimes change often and many sites still advertise closed ones. We link the official source for each.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Foreign income & gains tax-free for the first 4 years
Verified June 2026 · HMRC
Numbers are half the story
Your visa route, paperwork and deadlines depend on where you hold a passport. Get a free checklist personalized to your exact move.