Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cam Ranh: $740 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Cam Ranh
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Cam Ranh 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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Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$740

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Cam Ranh versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cam Ranh $740
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,235 in Cam Ranh versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cam Ranh $1,235
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,730 in Cam Ranh versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cam Ranh $1,730
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Cam Ranh costs roughly 14% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cam Ranh 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.60 ₫67.3K

$1.98 ₫51.3K

31.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.57 ₫610.2K

$23.14 ₫599.0K

1.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.4K

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-1.47%

Cappuccino

$1.64 ₫42.4K

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-11.83%

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

$0.40 ₫10.3K

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-21.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.21 ₫5,434

$0.32 ₫8,191

-34.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-41.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$1.71 ₫44.4K

-28.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₫38.2K

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-6.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 ₫11.5K

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-59.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-4.76%

Eggs

$1.42 ₫36.8K

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.20 ₫315.8K

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-1.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-15.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.05 ₫286.0K

$10.56 ₫273.3K

4.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ₫50.6K

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-34.34%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ₫19.9K

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-38.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-31.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.6K

$1.31 ₫33.8K

-6.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ₫20.0K

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-35.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 ₫17.6K

$1.14 ₫29.6K

-40.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₫20.5K

$0.73 ₫18.8K

8.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.41 ₫10.7K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.51 ₫39.1K

$1.28 ₫33.0K

17.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 ₫298.4K

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-7.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-35.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₫46.1K

$1.48 ₫38.3K

20.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ₫7,958

$0.26 ₫6,704

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.84 ₫177.1K

$11.43 ₫296.0K

-40.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.68 ₫17.7K

-17.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-4.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 ₫72.6K

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-6.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₫22.2K

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-5.49%

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

$31.1K ₫805.6M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

1.80%

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

$27.7K ₫717.3M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-5.64%

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

$78.3 ₫2.0M

$104 ₫2.7M

-24.55%

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

$6.66 ₫172.4K

$5.79 ₫149.9K

15.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.39 ₫243.1K

$10.48 ₫271.3K

-10.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.25 ₫602.0K

$26.08 ₫675.1K

-10.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.95 ₫180.0K

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-41.60%

Cinema Ticket

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$3.89 ₫100.7K

-51.16%

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

$216 ₫5.6M

$440 ₫11.4M

-50.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,892 ₫100.8M

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-83.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.36 ₫1.1M

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-18.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.76 ₫615.0K

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-32.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$48.42 ₫1.3M

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-47.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.9 ₫2.2M

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-13.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 ₫10.0M

$582 ₫15.1M

-33.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 ₫7.1M

$297 ₫7.7M

-7.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 ₫22.4M

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-33.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 ₫17.9M

$727 ₫18.8M

-4.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,143 ₫55.5M

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-55.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,234 ₫31.9M

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-33.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

8.64

-4.17%

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

Last update for Cam Ranh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cam Ranh

$275 37.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 7.7% $21

Groceries & Markets

Cam Ranh

$180 24.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 15.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cam Ranh

$94 12.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 27.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cam Ranh

$89 12%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 39.1% $35

Eating Out

Cam Ranh

$62 8.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 3.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Cam Ranh

$27 3.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 25.2% $6.8

Getting Around

Cam Ranh

$12 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 40.3% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $387 in Cam Ranh and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Cam Ranh vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $180 vs $208, with Cam Ranh cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Cam Ranh

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

Same time as Cam Ranh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

220,630

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Cam Ranh Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 300 km

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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

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

Cam Ranh wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cam Ranh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,110 in Cam Ranh and $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $387 in Cam Ranh versus $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $740 per month in Cam Ranh versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cam Ranh runs roughly 67% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $740 in Cam Ranh versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cam Ranh but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Cam Ranh the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cam Ranh delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $740 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cam Ranh hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cam Ranh and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Cam Ranh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.