First, let's calculate 80% of 500:
80% of 500 = 0.8 x 500 = 400
Now, let's calculate 50% of 30% of 500:
50% of 30% of 500 = 0.5 x 0.3 x 500 = 75
As we can see, 400 is not equal to 75, so 80% of 500 is not the same as 50% of 30% of 500. Therefore, the answer is no, they are not equal.