Cost of living comparison
Montego Bay vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary
Montego Bay is 31.9% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 3.0 times more in Montego Bay
- Groceries
-
pay 2.0 times more in Montego Bay
- Transportation
-
pay 69.0% more in Montego Bay
- Housing
-
pay 19.8% less in Montego Bay
- Childcare
-
pay 46.3% less in Montego Bay
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.5 times more in Montego Bay
- Clothing
-
pay 23.9% less in Montego Bay
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation in Montego Bay are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and housing are lower in Montego Bay. Notably, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Montego Bay.
Montego Bay vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Montego Bay instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:
pay 3.0 times more for restaurants
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.92
₫49,427
|
$11.02
JMD1,751.75
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.62
₫119K
|
$8.18
JMD1,301.30
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.54
₫13,793
|
$0.90
JMD143.10
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.33
₫8,520
|
$0.71
JMD113.07
|
|
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.08
₫27,617
|
$2.70
JMD428.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.05
₫155K
|
$5.70
JMD906.60
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.13
₫157K
|
$12.51
JMD1,989.33
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.62
₫41,667
|
$3.54
JMD562.56
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.64
₫42,224
|
$2.86
JMD454.05
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.36
₫34,975
|
$1.89
JMD300.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,832
|
$1.14
JMD181.62
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.72
₫18,564
|
$3.33
JMD530.17
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫14,797
|
$1.14
JMD181.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.54
₫13,990
|
$1.14
JMD181.62
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
₫13,552
|
$1.20
JMD190.91
|
|
pay 69.0% more for transportation
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.55
₫91,204
|
$5.22
JMD830.63
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$11.55
₫297K
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,715.02
₫789M
|
$44,062.55
JMD7M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.80
₫149K
|
$26.12
JMD4,154.16
|
|
pay 19.8% less for housing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$10.46
₫269K
|
$47.79
JMD7,599.69
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$585.86
₫15M
|
$314.73
JMD50,050.12
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$297.81
₫8M
|
$220.31
JMD35,035.08
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$79.24
₫2M
|
$128.52
JMD20,438.11
|
|
pay 46.3% less for childcare
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$438.36
₫11M
|
$361.00
JMD57,407.35
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,561.82
₫605M
|
$8,238.45
JMD1M
|
|
pay 2.5 times more for entertainment and sports
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.03
₫26,545
|
$2.20
JMD350.35
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
₫46,596
|
$5.31
JMD844.60
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.23
₫31,633
|
$9.44
JMD1,501.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$25.91
₫665K
|
$44.06
JMD7,007.02
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.46
₫88,969
|
$8.50
JMD1,351.35
|
|
pay 23.9% less for clothing
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
Montego Bay
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.59
₫1M
|
$23.60
JMD3,753.76
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.61
₫889K
|
$31.47
JMD5,005.01
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$91.59
₫2M
|
$69.24
JMD11,011.03
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$94.62
₫2M
|
$100.71
JMD16,016.04
|
|
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated November 2026). How we calculate this
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