Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $2,545 in Berlin, rent and utilities included – about $20,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Berlin
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Berlin 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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Berlin

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,545

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Berlin 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 Berlin and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,545 per month in Berlin vs $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Berlin $2,545
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

A couple spends around $3,901 per month in Berlin vs $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Berlin $3,901
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

A family of three spends $5,257 per month in Berlin vs $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Berlin $5,257
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Berlin costs about 198% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Berlin sits 90% above the global median, while Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.81 €14.99

$1.90 ₫49.2K

784.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.6 €71.0

$23.32 ₫603.7K

241.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.93

$4.67 ₫121.0K

186.51%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.81

$1.85 ₫48.0K

130.81%

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

$3.40 €3.03

$0.56 ₫14.4K

507.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$0.34 ₫8,860

817.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.48 €4.88

$1.01 ₫26.2K

442.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$1.69 ₫43.7K

169.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-19.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.45 €2.18

$1.04 ₫27.0K

135.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$0.99 ₫25.7K

233.33%

Eggs

$4.45 €3.97

$1.60 ₫41.5K

178.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.10 €15.25

$12.23 ₫316.7K

39.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.19 €10.87

$3.54 ₫91.7K

244.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.30 €16.32

$10.44 ₫270.3K

75.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.58 €3.19

$3.09 ₫79.9K

15.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.26 ₫32.5K

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$1.57 ₫40.6K

108.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.81 €3.40

$1.26 ₫32.5K

202.38%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.17 ₫30.4K

82.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.15 ₫29.7K

92.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.72 ₫18.7K

106.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.54 ₫14.0K

87.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.49 €9.36

$1.22 ₫31.5K

759.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$12.28 ₫317.9K

-44.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 €1.20

$0.98 ₫25.4K

36.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.49 ₫38.6K

40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 €3.90

$0.28 ₫7,252

1460.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.0 €63.3

$11.62 ₫301.0K

510.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 €4.72

$0.73 ₫18.9K

624.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.05 €2.72

$0.64 ₫16.7K

376.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.30 €32.36

$3.17 ₫82.0K

1045.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$0.95 ₫24.6K

140.00%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$30.7K ₫795.9M

8.12%

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

$39.1K €34.8K

$30.6K ₫791.9M

27.68%

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

$379 €338

$102 ₫2.6M

270.80%

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

$19.31 €17.22

$5.65 ₫146.2K

241.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$48.41 €43.17

$10.52 ₫272.3K

360.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.31 €35.94

$25.86 ₫669.5K

55.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.51 €31.66

$11.82 ₫306.1K

200.42%

Cinema Ticket

$15.53 €13.85

$3.39 ₫87.8K

358.11%

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

$144 €128

$438 ₫11.3M

-67.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$23.3K ₫603.3M

-32.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.6 €84.4

$51.5 ₫1.3M

83.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 €41.31

$34.56 ₫894.6K

34.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$91.3 ₫2.4M

13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$94.9 ₫2.5M

48.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,488 €1,327

$577 ₫14.9M

157.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 €979

$292 ₫7.6M

275.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,665 €2,376

$1,293 ₫33.5M

106.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,080 €1,855

$717 ₫18.6M

190.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,578 €7,648

$4,714 ₫122.0M

81.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,438 €4,849

$1,882 ₫48.7M

188.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,487 €3,109

$486 ₫12.6M

617.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

8.64

-56.02%

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

Last update for Berlin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Berlin

$1.1K 43.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 73.4% $806

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Berlin

$447 17.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 73.5% $329

Groceries & Markets

Berlin

$351 13.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 41.4% $145

Eating Out

Berlin

$289 11.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 78% $225

Clothing & Footwear

Berlin

$174 6.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 29.4% $51

Getting Around

Berlin

$109 4.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 84.7% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Berlin

$71 2.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 54.3% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,488 in Berlin versus $577 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 618% higher in Berlin, 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 $80.0 in Berlin versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $351 vs $206 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Berlin

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

04:12 4:12 AM

09:12 9:12 AM

5 h ahead of Berlin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,769,962 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Berlin Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 9,280 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Berlin
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

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

Yes – Berlin is pricier by about 198%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,818 per month in Berlin and $1,283 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,545 in Berlin and $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 198%.

Public transport costs about 511% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $855, than in Berlin at $2,545. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Berlin 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, Berlin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.