Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Asuncion and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,075 in Asuncion, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Asuncion
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Asuncion Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Asuncion

🇵🇾 Paraguay

$1,075

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Asuncion and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Asuncion and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,075 per month in Asuncion vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Asuncion $1,075
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,684 per month in Asuncion vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Asuncion $1,684
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $2,292 per month in Asuncion vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Asuncion $2,292
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Asuncion costs about 25% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Asuncion and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Asuncion 20% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.15 ₲40.6K

$1.91 ₫49.6K

274.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.57 ₲247.8K

$22.84 ₫591.2K

90.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 ₲40.4K

$4.54 ₫117.6K

56.39%

Cappuccino

$3.51 ₲20.0K

$1.85 ₫48.0K

89.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₲5,980

$0.56 ₫14.6K

87.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₲3,289

$0.32 ₫8,185

81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 ₲10.8K

$1.06 ₫27.5K

78.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 ₲9,906

$1.72 ₫44.5K

1.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,321

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-22.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ₲8,514

$1.11 ₫28.7K

35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ₲7,922

$1.00 ₫25.9K

39.00%

Eggs

$2.48 ₲14.1K

$1.67 ₫43.1K

48.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.74 ₲55.4K

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-19.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.19 ₲29.5K

$3.68 ₫95.2K

41.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.07 ₲57.2K

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-1.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 ₲17.0K

$2.96 ₫76.5K

1.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 ₲7,493

$1.24 ₫32.2K

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 ₲6,742

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-23.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₲14.1K

$1.30 ₫33.6K

90.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ₲7,984

$1.23 ₫31.9K

13.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 ₲7,562

$1.15 ₫29.8K

15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₲5,243

$0.74 ₫19.1K

24.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ₲4,372

$0.56 ₫14.4K

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 ₲13.8K

$1.24 ₫32.1K

95.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.08 ₲51.6K

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-27.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₲8,064

$0.96 ₫24.9K

47.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ₲10.2K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

16.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₲3,315

$0.26 ₫6,694

123.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.92 ₲215.6K

$11.51 ₫297.9K

229.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₲8,735

$0.75 ₫19.5K

105.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 ₲9,204

$0.67 ₫17.4K

141.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.44 ₲59.4K

$3.03 ₫78.5K

244.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ₲7,320

$0.96 ₫24.8K

34.38%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$17.5K ₲99.5M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-43.65%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$35.0K ₲199.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

15.42%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$51.5 ₲293.0K

$102 ₫2.6M

-49.47%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.68 ₲100.5K

$5.89 ₫152.5K

200.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.35 ₲127.1K

$10.49 ₫271.6K

113.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 ₲208.1K

$25.54 ₫661.2K

43.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.33 ₲87.2K

$11.92 ₫308.5K

28.61%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₲50.6K

$3.53 ₫91.3K

151.84%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$190 ₲1.1M

$436 ₫11.3M

-56.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,930 ₲33.7M

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-74.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 ₲368.0K

$52.8 ₫1.4M

22.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 ₲329.4K

$34.15 ₫884.1K

69.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 ₲610.0K

$90.3 ₫2.3M

18.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ₲416.8K

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 ₲3.7M

$589 ₫15.3M

9.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₲2.2M

$298 ₫7.7M

29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 ₲6.0M

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-17.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₲3.7M

$711 ₫18.4M

-8.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,715 ₲9.8M

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-63.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,205 ₲6.9M

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-36.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$747 ₲4.2M

$490 ₫12.7M

52.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.5

8.64

21.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Asuncion: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Asuncion

$385 35.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 22.7% $88

Groceries & Markets

Asuncion

$217 20.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 4.6% $10

Eating Out

Asuncion

$140 13%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 54.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Asuncion

$136 12.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 10.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Asuncion

$92 8.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 29.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Asuncion

$54 5.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 40.1% $22

Getting Around

Asuncion

$50 4.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 66.6% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Asuncion versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 53% higher in Asuncion, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Asuncion versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $217 vs $207 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇾 Asuncion

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

10 h ahead of Asuncion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

742,023 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Paraguayan Guarani PYG ₲

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD

10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PYG – Paraguayan Guarani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇾 Paraguayan Guarani (₲)

Paraguayan Guarani exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5,686 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 6,393 PYG (10,000 PYG = 1.56 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PYG in detail →

On the map

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Asuncion Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 17,710 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

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Asuncion
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Asuncion vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Asuncion is pricier by about 25%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,613 per month in Asuncion and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 229% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $190 per month in Asuncion and $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $859, than in Asuncion at $1,075. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Asuncion it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Asuncion makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.