Cost of living comparison

Vietnam

compared to

Pakistan

Islamabad vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary

Islamabad is 26.7% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City.

Restaurants: pay 28.6% more in Islamabad
Groceries: pay 47.6% less in Islamabad
Transportation: pay 60.6% more in Islamabad
Housing: pay 44.3% less in Islamabad
Childcare: pay 81.0% less in Islamabad
Entertainment and Sports: pay 59.3% more in Islamabad
Clothing: pay 31.6% less in Islamabad

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

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Islamabad vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 28.6% more for restaurants

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.92 ₫49,832	$3.61 PKR1,001.00	+87.6%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.62 ₫120K	$5.42 PKR1,501.50	+17.3%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.54 ₫13,905	$0.34 PKR94.38	-36.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 ₫8,590	$0.22 PKR60.62	-34.1%
Average			+28.6%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - Cost of restaurants

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pay 47.6% less for groceries

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Bread 1 loaf	$1.08 ₫27,843	$0.75 PKR208.08	-30.2%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.05 ₫157K	$3.07 PKR851.66	-49.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.13 ₫159K	$3.63 PKR1,006.51	-40.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.62 ₫42,008	$1.24 PKR343.64	-23.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.64 ₫42,570	$1.41 PKR390.48	-14.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.36 ₫35,261	$0.59 PKR163.19	-56.8%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,953	$0.38 PKR106.19	-33.7%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.72 ₫18,715	$0.47 PKR131.67	-34.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,918	$0.25 PKR68.12	-57.4%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 ₫14,104	$0.13 PKR35.52	-76.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.53 ₫13,662	$0.17 PKR46.29	-68.4%
Average			-47.6%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - Cost of groceries

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pay 60.6% more for transportation

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.55 ₫91,950	$5.11 PKR1,415.96	+43.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.55 ₫299K	$21.66 PKR6,006.00	+87.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$30,715.02 ₫795M	$54,159.34 PKR15M	+76.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.80 ₫150K	$7.04 PKR1,951.95	+21.3%
Average			+60.6%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - Cost of transportation

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pay 44.3% less for housing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.46 ₫271K	$17.07 PKR4,732.00	+63.2%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$585.86 ₫15M	$273.02 PKR75,692.28	-53.4%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$297.81 ₫8M	$139.79 PKR38,755.38	-53.1%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$79.24 ₫2M	$77.95 PKR21,609.82	-1.6%
Average			-44.3%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - Cost of housing

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pay 81.0% less for childcare

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$438.36 ₫11M	$74.62 PKR20,687.33	-83.0%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$23,561.82 ₫610M	$5,015.34 PKR1M	-78.7%
Average			-81.0%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - Cost of childcare

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pay 59.3% more for entertainment and sports

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.03 ₫26,762	$3.61 PKR1,001.00	+249.3%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.81 ₫46,978	$2.65 PKR734.15	+46.0%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.23 ₫31,892	$2.30 PKR637.64	+86.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$25.91 ₫671K	$28.23 PKR7,826.00	+9.0%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.46 ₫89,697	$4.33 PKR1,201.20	+25.1%
Average			+59.3%

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

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pay 31.6% less for clothing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Islamabad
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.59 ₫1M	$24.82 PKR6,881.88	-51.9%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.61 ₫896K	$34.87 PKR9,666.47	+0.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$91.59 ₫2M	$96.43 PKR26,735.16	+5.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$94.62 ₫2M	$40.62 PKR11,261.25	-57.1%
Average			-31.6%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Islamabad - 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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