Price Per Square Meter Calculator (VND)
Every property listing in Vietnam shows two headline numbers — a total price and a floor area — yet neither tells you whether a place is actually well priced. A 3 billion dong, 75 m² apartment and a 3.5 billion dong, 80 m² apartment sound roughly comparable until you reduce them to one common yardstick: price per square metre (giá/m²). Dividing the total price by the area normalises everything, so you can line up very different homes and instantly see which is expensive and which is a relative bargain.
The formula is one line: price/m² = total price ÷ area. For the default listing in the tool above — 3.000.000.000 VND total over 75 m² — that works out to 40.000.000 VND/m². The reverse check is just as simple: 40.000.000 VND/m² × 75 m² = 3.000.000.000 VND, which is exactly the original asking price. That conversion is your defence against the "it's bigger, so of course it costs more" sales line — quite often the larger unit is actually more expensive once you measure it per square metre.
The calculator above lets you enter 2–3 listings (total price and area for each), computes the price/m² of each, and ranks them to highlight the cheapest per square metre. One thing that trips up newcomers to the Vietnamese market: areas are not measured consistently. Listings may quote thông thủy (carpet/net usable area) or tim tường (built-up area measured to wall centres), and may or may not include balconies; land is sometimes quoted as plot size rather than constructed floor area. Keep the same area basis across every listing you compare, or the ranking is meaningless. The figures used as examples here are illustrative, not quotes for any real building or district.
How the calculator compares listings
The core formula
Price per m² = Total price ÷ Area
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Total price | The all-in asking price (default listing: 3.000.000.000 VND) |
| Area | Usable area in square metres (default listing: 75 m²) |
| Price/m² | Unit price per square metre = total price ÷ area |
The reverse check verifies the math: Total price = Price/m² × Area. For example, 40.000.000 VND/m² × 75 m² = 3.000.000.000 VND, which matches the original total — so every figure reconciles.
Comparing two or three listings
The tool computes price/m² for each listing and sorts by unit price. A lower number is cheaper per square metre, provided the listings share the same area basis and a comparable location.
| Listing | Total price | Area | Price/m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3.000.000.000 | 75 m² | 40.000.000 |
| B | 3.500.000.000 | 80 m² | 43.750.000 |
| C | 2.800.000.000 | 65 m² | 43.076.923 |
Listing A has the lowest price/m² (40.000.000 VND/m²), so it is the best deal per square metre — even though its total price (3.000.000.000 VND) is not the lowest of the three. That is precisely why you compare price/m² rather than headline price.
What price per m² does not capture
Price/m² normalises for size, but it says nothing about location, floor level, aspect, view, legal status (sổ hồng/sổ đỏ), furnishing or future appreciation. Two homes at the same price/m² can be worlds apart in real quality. Use price/m² as a first-pass filter to drop the obviously overpriced options, then weigh the qualitative factors. The model also assumes you enter the same type of area for every listing; mixing net usable area with built-up area will skew the comparison.
Worked example: comparing three apartments by price/m²
Illustrative assumptions (not real quotes): three units in the same area, measured on the same area basis, differing only in total price and size.
| Listing | Total price | Area | Price/m² | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 3.000.000.000 | 75 m² | 40.000.000 | Cheapest/m² |
| B | 3.500.000.000 | 80 m² | 43.750.000 | Dearest/m² |
| C | 2.800.000.000 | 65 m² | 43.076.923 | Middle |
Three things stand out.
- The lowest total price is not the best deal. Listing C has the smallest sticker (2.800.000.000 VND), but with only 65 m² its price/m² climbs to 43.076.923 VND — more expensive than listing A.
- The highest total price is not the dearest per m². Listing B is the most expensive per square metre (43.750.000 VND/m²), while listing A, with a slightly higher total than C, is the cheapest on a per-metre basis.
- The price/m² gap is real money. Between the cheapest unit (A: 40.000.000 VND/m²) and the dearest (B: 43.750.000 VND/m²) there is a gap of 3.750.000 VND per square metre — about 9%. Across a 75 m² home, that 9% adds up fast.
Enter the listings you are weighing using the same area basis, see which is cheapest per square metre, and only then compare location, legal paperwork and fit-out. To check what you can actually afford, pair this with FiMo's home affordability calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate price per square metre?
Price/m² = total price divided by area. For example, a home priced at 3.000.000.000 VND with 75 m² of area works out to 3.000.000.000 ÷ 75 = 40.000.000 VND/m². It is a normalised measure that lets you compare homes of different sizes on one common scale, so you can see which is relatively expensive or cheap.
How do I get the total price from a price per m²?
Reverse the formula: total price = price/m² × area. For example, 40.000.000 VND/m² × 75 m² = 3.000.000.000 VND. This is handy when an agent quotes a per-square-metre rate and you want to estimate the full price quickly, or to check that a listing's stated total matches its quoted unit price.
Is the cheapest total price always the best deal?
Not necessarily. A low total price often just means a small home. In the example, listing C has the lowest total (2.800.000.000 VND) but only 65 m², so its price/m² rises to 43.076.923 VND — more expensive than listing A at 40.000.000 VND/m², even though A's total is higher. To compare fairly, look at price/m², not the headline figure.
Why do Vietnamese listings give different areas for the same flat?
Because two measurement conventions coexist. Thông thủy (net/carpet area, measured inside the walls) is smaller, while tim tường (built-up area, measured to wall centres) is larger and may include shared wall thickness and balconies. Dividing the same price by the larger area gives a lower price/m². When comparing listings, always use the same area basis for all of them, or the ranking will be misleading.
Does price per m² tell me the full value of a property?
No. Price/m² only normalises for size. It captures nothing about location, floor level, aspect, view, legal title (sổ hồng/sổ đỏ), furnishing or appreciation potential. Two homes at the same price/m² can differ enormously in real quality. Use it as a first-pass filter to eliminate clearly overpriced options, then weigh the qualitative factors before deciding.
How big a gap in price per m² is worth caring about?
In the example, the cheapest listing (A: 40.000.000 VND/m²) and the dearest (B: 43.750.000 VND/m²) differ by 3.750.000 VND/m², roughly 9%. Across a 75 m² home that is a substantial sum of real money. If two comparable properties — similar location and legal status — show a large price/m² gap, that is a cue to negotiate or to find out why one is dearer.