Cost of living comparison
compared to
Male vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Male is 61.9% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4 times more in Male
- Groceries
-
pay 58.9% more in Male
- Transportation
-
pay 48.7% more in Male
- Housing
-
pay 92.2% more in Male
- Childcare
-
pay 76.8% less in Male
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.3 times more in Male
- Clothing
-
pay 12.7% less in Male
The cost of entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, groceries, and transportation in Male are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including childcare and clothing are lower in Male. Notably, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and housing are significantly more expensive in Male.
Male vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Male instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 2.4 times more for restaurants
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.92
₫49,832
|
$6.00
MVR92.80
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.62
₫120K
|
$9.73
MVR150.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.54
₫13,905
|
$1.63
MVR25.14
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
₫8,590
|
$0.30
MVR4.59
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of restaurants
pay 58.9% more for groceries
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.08
₫27,843
|
$1.65
MVR25.58
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.05
₫157K
|
$5.34
MVR82.48
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.13
₫159K
|
$7.69
MVR118.88
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
₫42,008
|
$1.92
MVR29.72
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
₫42,570
|
$2.77
MVR42.75
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₫35,261
|
$1.80
MVR27.85
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,953
|
$1.39
MVR21.42
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
₫18,715
|
$1.85
MVR28.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,918
|
$1.22
MVR18.85
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
₫14,104
|
$0.93
MVR14.41
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
₫13,662
|
$0.86
MVR13.31
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of groceries
pay 48.7% more for transportation
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.55
₫91,950
|
$3.81
MVR58.85
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.55
₫299K
|
$30.82
MVR476.54
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,715.02
₫795M
|
$32,446.46
MVR502K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.80
₫150K
|
$17.52
MVR270.88
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of transportation
pay 92.2% more for housing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.46
₫271K
|
$73.00
MVR1,128.65
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$585.86
₫15M
|
$951.14
MVR14,704.70
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$297.81
₫8M
|
$699.92
MVR10,820.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
$90.98
MVR1,406.51
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of housing
pay 76.8% less for childcare
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$438.36
₫11M
|
$184.98
MVR2,859.75
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,561.82
₫610M
|
$3,004.83
MVR46,454.64
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of childcare
pay 3.3 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.03
₫26,762
|
$4.87
MVR75.24
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
₫46,978
|
$3.55
MVR54.87
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.23
₫31,892
|
$14.93
MVR230.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$25.91
₫671K
|
$70.81
MVR1,094.69
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.46
₫89,697
|
$9.73
MVR150.49
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 12.7% less for clothing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Male
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
$39.51
MVR610.88
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.61
₫896K
|
$49.64
MVR767.37
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
$87.13
MVR1,346.98
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.62
₫2M
|
$52.52
MVR811.92
|
|
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male - 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
Change currency:
Compare further: Ho Chi Minh City vs. Male
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Vietnam vs. Maldives.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Vietnam and Maldives.
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 Male or Ho Chi Minh City. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.