Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Chiang Mai Cost of Living Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is 16.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.9% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Groceries
-
pay 17.8% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Transportation
-
pay 15.6% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Housing
-
pay 6.2% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Childcare
-
pay 34.0% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 39.9% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Clothing
-
pay 9.6% more in Ho Chi Minh City
The cost of clothing and housing in Ho Chi Minh City are more expensive than in Chiang Mai. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Chiang Mai Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ho Chi Minh City instead of Chiang Mai, you would:
pay 26.9% less for restaurants
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$2.02
THB64.12
|
$1.89
₫49,934
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.05
THB255.99
|
$3.79
₫99,868
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.79
THB25.23
|
$0.49
₫12,842
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.34
THB10.80
|
$0.31
₫8,063
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.8% less for groceries
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.58
THB50.31
|
$0.97
₫25,633
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.36
THB266.13
|
$5.67
₫149,490
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.70
THB213.16
|
$5.38
₫141,938
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.07
THB65.77
|
$1.42
₫37,360
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.36
THB43.31
|
$1.63
₫42,926
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.33
THB42.38
|
$1.23
₫32,443
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.53
THB16.74
|
$0.52
₫13,683
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
THB25.22
|
$0.54
₫14,352
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.74
THB23.68
|
$0.52
₫13,713
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
THB20.47
|
$0.50
₫13,276
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.55
THB17.42
|
$0.54
₫14,249
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of groceries
pay 15.6% less for transportation
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.83
THB153.69
|
$3.17
₫83,577
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$19.14
THB609.04
|
$11.36
₫299,605
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$22,478.88
THB715,197.55
|
$37,122.40
₫978,709,235
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$11.94
THB379.79
|
$5.68
₫149,802
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of transportation
pay 6.2% more for housing
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$19.34
THB615.25
|
$9.41
₫248,037
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$440.41
THB14,012.16
|
$543.38
₫14,325,844
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$249.32
THB7,932.45
|
$306.83
₫8,089,331
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$51.23
THB1,630.04
|
$66.43
₫1,751,505
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of housing
pay 34.0% less for childcare
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$644.65
THB20,510.55
|
$263.06
₫6,935,298
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,231.38
THB484,607.99
|
$13,892.02
₫366,254,467
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of childcare
pay 39.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
THB71.52
|
$1.06
₫27,963
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.90
THB60.60
|
$1.81
₫47,833
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$4.34
THB138.11
|
$1.25
₫32,957
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.28
THB1,122.37
|
$19.47
₫513,366
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.12
THB162.77
|
$3.79
₫99,868
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.6% more for clothing
|
Chiang Mai
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$62.01
THB1,972.96
|
$44.83
₫1,181,971
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$19.90
THB632.99
|
$29.40
₫775,171
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.02
THB2,959.44
|
$93.29
₫2,459,540
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$67.18
THB2,137.37
|
$79.23
₫2,088,917
|
|
Chiang Mai vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Thailand vs. Vietnam.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Thailand and Vietnam.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Ho Chi Minh City or Chiang Mai. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.