Cost of living comparison

Vietnam

compared to

Cuba

Havana vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary

Havana is 5.0% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City.

Restaurants: pay 73.0% more in Havana
Groceries: pay 67.2% more in Havana
Transportation: pay 61.9% more in Havana
Housing: pay 37.8% less in Havana
Childcare: pay 72.4% less in Havana
Entertainment and Sports: pay 32.4% less in Havana
Clothing: pay 23.6% less in Havana

The cost of restaurants, groceries, and transportation in Havana are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Havana.

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Havana vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Havana instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 73.0% more for restaurants

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.92 ₫49,832	$3.71 CUC3.71	+92.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.62 ₫120K	$5.00 CUC5.00	+8.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.54 ₫13,905	$1.70 CUC1.70	+216.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 ₫8,590	$1.00 CUC1.00	+201.4%
Average			+73.0%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of restaurants

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pay 67.2% more for groceries

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Bread 1 loaf	$1.08 ₫27,843	$1.49 CUC1.49	+38.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.05 ₫157K	$2.22 CUC2.22	-63.3%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.13 ₫159K	$14.20 CUC14.20	+131.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.62 ₫42,008	$3.71 CUC3.71	+128.9%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.64 ₫42,570	$2.07 CUC2.07	+25.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.36 ₫35,261	$2.75 CUC2.75	+101.6%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,953	$0.48 CUC0.48	-16.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.72 ₫18,715	$1.79 CUC1.79	+147.2%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,918	$1.04 CUC1.04	+81.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 ₫14,104	$1.73 CUC1.73	+216.8%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.53 ₫13,662	$1.85 CUC1.85	+250.5%
Average			+67.2%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of groceries

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pay 61.9% more for transportation

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.55 ₫91,950	$4.83 CUC4.83	+35.9%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.55 ₫299K	$22.50 CUC22.50	+94.9%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$30,715.02 ₫795M	$60,000.00 CUC60,000.00	+95.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.80 ₫150K	$6.20 CUC6.20	+6.9%
Average			+61.9%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of transportation

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pay 37.8% less for housing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.46 ₫271K	$90.21 CUC90.21	+762.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$585.86 ₫15M	$254.03 CUC254.03	-56.6%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$297.81 ₫8M	$214.40 CUC214.40	-28.0%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$79.24 ₫2M	$36.20 CUC36.20	-54.3%
Average			-37.8%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of housing

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pay 72.4% less for childcare

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$438.36 ₫11M	$112.00 CUC112.00	-74.5%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$23,561.82 ₫610M	$7,000.00 CUC7,000.00	-70.3%
Average			-72.4%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of childcare

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pay 32.4% less for entertainment and sports

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.03 ₫26,762	$1.60 CUC1.60	+55.0%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.81 ₫46,978	$1.11 CUC1.11	-38.8%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.23 ₫31,892	$2.00 CUC2.00	+62.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$25.91 ₫671K	$19.00 CUC19.00	-26.7%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.46 ₫89,697	$0.85 CUC0.85	-75.5%
Average			-32.4%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 23.6% less for clothing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Havana
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.59 ₫1M	$37.00 CUC37.00	-28.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.61 ₫896K	$37.00 CUC37.00	+6.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$91.59 ₫2M	$68.67 CUC68.67	-25.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$94.62 ₫2M	$56.00 CUC56.00	-40.8%
Average			-23.6%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Havana - Cost of clothing

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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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