Cost of living comparison
compared to
Koh Samui vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Koh Samui is 33.4% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 98.6% more in Koh Samui
- Groceries
-
pay 17.2% more in Koh Samui
- Transportation
-
pay 66.5% more in Koh Samui
- Housing
-
pay 31.1% more in Koh Samui
- Childcare
-
pay 34.7% less in Koh Samui
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 76.6% more in Koh Samui
- Clothing
-
pay 10.3% less in Koh Samui
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, and groceries in Koh Samui are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Koh Samui. Notably, restaurants and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Koh Samui.
Koh Samui vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Koh Samui instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 98.6% more for restaurants
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.92
₫49,832
|
$4.46
THB148.24
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.62
₫120K
|
$8.62
THB286.59
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.54
₫13,905
|
$0.92
THB30.54
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
₫8,590
|
$0.48
THB15.87
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.2% more for groceries
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.08
₫27,843
|
$1.42
THB47.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.05
₫157K
|
$9.70
THB322.52
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.13
₫159K
|
$5.59
THB185.80
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
₫42,008
|
$2.13
THB70.84
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
₫42,570
|
$1.46
THB48.50
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₫35,261
|
$1.32
THB43.97
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,953
|
$0.50
THB16.51
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
₫18,715
|
$1.02
THB33.84
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,918
|
$0.95
THB31.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
₫14,104
|
$0.62
THB20.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
₫13,662
|
$0.61
THB20.32
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of groceries
pay 66.5% more for transportation
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.55
₫91,950
|
$5.41
THB180.01
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.55
₫299K
|
$44.56
THB1,482.38
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,715.02
₫795M
|
$26,737.57
THB889K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.80
₫150K
|
$11.29
THB375.54
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of transportation
pay 31.1% more for housing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.46
₫271K
|
$17.15
THB570.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$585.86
₫15M
|
$842.23
THB28,017.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$297.81
₫8M
|
$391.56
THB13,025.19
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
$74.96
THB2,493.60
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of housing
pay 34.7% less for childcare
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$438.36
₫11M
|
$555.38
THB18,474.87
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,561.82
₫610M
|
$7,921.52
THB264K
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of childcare
pay 76.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.03
₫26,762
|
$2.38
THB79.06
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
₫46,978
|
$2.14
THB71.03
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.23
₫31,892
|
$4.33
THB143.89
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$25.91
₫671K
|
$40.11
THB1,334.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.46
₫89,697
|
$5.94
THB197.65
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.3% less for clothing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Koh Samui
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
$41.59
THB1,383.56
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.61
₫896K
|
$28.69
THB954.49
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
$95.68
THB3,182.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.62
₫2M
|
$87.87
THB2,922.95
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Koh Samui - Cost of clothing
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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