Cost of living comparison
Athens vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Athens is 2.0 times more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.4 times more in Athens
- Groceries
-
pay 72.6% more in Athens
- Transportation
-
pay 30.0% more in Athens
- Housing
-
pay 2.7 times more in Athens
- Childcare
-
pay 10.3% less in Athens
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.1 times more in Athens
- Clothing
-
pay 19.9% less in Athens
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and transportation in Athens are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including clothing and childcare are lower in Athens. Notably, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Athens.
Athens vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Athens instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 4.4 times more for restaurants
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.92
₫49,832
|
$13.26
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.62
₫120K
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.54
₫13,905
|
$2.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
₫8,590
|
$1.92
|
|
pay 72.6% more for groceries
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.08
₫27,843
|
$2.91
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.05
₫157K
|
$4.50
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.13
₫159K
|
$3.24
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
₫42,008
|
$3.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
₫42,570
|
$4.79
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₫35,261
|
$1.87
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,953
|
$0.61
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
₫18,715
|
$1.87
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,918
|
$2.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
₫14,104
|
$1.06
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
₫13,662
|
$1.31
|
|
pay 30.0% more for transportation
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.55
₫91,950
|
$3.64
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.55
₫299K
|
$15.87
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,715.02
₫795M
|
$32,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.80
₫150K
|
$29.35
|
|
pay 2.7 times more for housing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.46
₫271K
|
$81.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$585.86
₫15M
|
$1,332.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$297.81
₫8M
|
$967.75
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
$137.59
|
|
pay 10.3% less for childcare
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$438.36
₫11M
|
$875.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,561.82
₫610M
|
$9,500.00
|
|
pay 3.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.03
₫26,762
|
$7.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
₫46,978
|
$5.73
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.23
₫31,892
|
$7.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$25.91
₫671K
|
$25.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.46
₫89,697
|
$13.00
|
|
pay 19.9% less for clothing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Athens
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
$54.33
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.61
₫896K
|
$32.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
$65.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.62
₫2M
|
$55.00
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this
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