Cost of living comparison
compared to
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Vietnam Cost of Living Summary
Ho Chi Minh City is 17.9% more expensive than Vietnam overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.1% less in Ho Chi Minh City
- Groceries
-
pay 5.9% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Transportation
-
pay 19.6% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Housing
-
pay 43.5% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Childcare
-
pay 22.6% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.9% more in Ho Chi Minh City
- Clothing
-
pay 27.6% more in Ho Chi Minh City
The cost of housing, clothing, childcare, transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Ho Chi Minh City are more expensive than in Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City vs. Vietnam Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Ho Chi Minh City instead of Vietnam, you would:
pay 2.1% less for restaurants
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$1.88
₫49,690
|
$1.89
₫49,934
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.13
₫108,859
|
$3.79
₫99,868
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.53
₫13,959
|
$0.49
₫12,842
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.29
₫7,516
|
$0.31
₫8,063
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of restaurants
pay 5.9% more for groceries
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.86
₫22,662
|
$0.97
₫25,633
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
₫140,178
|
$5.67
₫149,490
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$5.20
₫137,182
|
$5.38
₫141,938
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.45
₫38,162
|
$1.42
₫37,360
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$1.56
₫41,042
|
$1.63
₫42,926
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
₫31,219
|
$1.23
₫32,443
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.47
₫12,419
|
$0.52
₫13,683
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.58
₫15,168
|
$0.54
₫14,352
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.49
₫12,941
|
$0.52
₫13,713
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.46
₫12,245
|
$0.50
₫13,276
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
₫12,299
|
$0.54
₫14,249
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of groceries
pay 19.6% more for transportation
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.19
₫84,145
|
$3.17
₫83,577
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$6.64
₫175,179
|
$11.36
₫299,605
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,225.24
₫875,963,124
|
$37,122.40
₫978,709,235
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$5.90
₫155,628
|
$5.68
₫149,802
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of transportation
pay 43.5% more for housing
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$8.68
₫228,767
|
$9.41
₫248,037
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$310.38
₫8,182,846
|
$543.38
₫14,325,844
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$223.57
₫5,894,329
|
$306.83
₫8,089,331
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$43.27
₫1,140,874
|
$66.43
₫1,751,505
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of housing
pay 22.6% more for childcare
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.23
₫5,252,517
|
$263.06
₫6,935,298
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,262.04
₫323,281,150
|
$13,892.02
₫366,254,467
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of childcare
pay 7.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$0.93
₫24,544
|
$1.06
₫27,963
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.60
₫42,135
|
$1.81
₫47,833
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$1.28
₫33,702
|
$1.25
₫32,957
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$20.38
₫537,276
|
$19.47
₫513,366
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$3.19
₫84,207
|
$3.79
₫99,868
|
|
Vietnam vs. Ho Chi Minh City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.6% more for clothing
|
Vietnam
|
Ho Chi Minh City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$31.66
₫834,714
|
$44.83
₫1,181,971
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$21.29
₫561,399
|
$29.40
₫775,171
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$72.72
₫1,917,160
|
$93.29
₫2,459,540
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.26
₫2,037,044
|
$79.23
₫2,088,917
|
|
Vietnam 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: December 2025
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