Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Lima Cost of Living Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is 13.3% cheaper than Lima.
- Restaurants
-
pay 51.9% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Groceries
-
pay 8.3% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Transportation
-
pay 19.3% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Housing
-
pay 11.4% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Childcare
-
pay 53.0% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.3% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Clothing
-
pay 6.0% less in Ho Chi Minh City
Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, transportation, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in Ho Chi Minh City.
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Lima Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ho Chi Minh City instead of Lima, you would:
pay 51.9% less for restaurants
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$4.28
PEN14.37
|
$1.89
₫49,159
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.14
PEN23.95
|
$3.79
₫98,318
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.01
PEN3.37
|
$0.49
₫12,643
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.65
PEN2.19
|
$0.31
₫7,937
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.3% less for groceries
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.67
PEN8.94
|
$0.97
₫25,235
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.52
PEN15.16
|
$5.67
₫147K
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.76
PEN19.31
|
$5.38
₫140K
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.96
PEN9.94
|
$1.42
₫36,780
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.63
PEN8.83
|
$1.63
₫42,259
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.02
PEN3.41
|
$1.23
₫31,939
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.51
PEN1.70
|
$0.52
₫13,470
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.58
PEN1.93
|
$0.54
₫14,129
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.56
PEN1.89
|
$0.52
₫13,500
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.46
PEN1.55
|
$0.50
₫13,070
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
PEN1.46
|
$0.54
₫14,028
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of groceries
pay 19.3% less for transportation
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.20
PEN17.43
|
$3.17
₫82,279
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$22.85
PEN76.65
|
$11.36
₫295K
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$19,990.85
PEN67,067.28
|
$37,122.40
₫964M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.70
PEN72.82
|
$5.68
₫147K
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of transportation
pay 11.4% less for housing
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$24.99
PEN83.83
|
$9.41
₫244K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$661.42
PEN2,219.01
|
$543.38
₫14M
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$374.24
PEN1,255.53
|
$306.83
₫8M
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.53
PEN146.04
|
$66.43
₫2M
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of housing
pay 53.0% more for childcare
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$192.22
PEN644.88
|
$263.06
₫7M
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,215.29
PEN27,561.46
|
$13,892.02
₫361M
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of childcare
pay 49.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.28
PEN7.66
|
$1.06
₫27,529
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.61
PEN8.77
|
$1.81
₫47,091
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.71
PEN19.16
|
$1.25
₫32,445
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.13
PEN104.43
|
$19.47
₫505K
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.14
PEN23.95
|
$3.79
₫98,318
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.0% less for clothing
|
Lima
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.07
PEN171.34
|
$44.83
₫1M
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.74
PEN119.89
|
$29.40
₫763K
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.99
PEN281.79
|
$93.29
₫2M
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$83.70
PEN280.81
|
$79.23
₫2M
|
|
Lima vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: February 2026
Change currency:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in Peru vs. Vietnam.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Peru and Vietnam.
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 Ho Chi Minh City or Lima. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.