Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,067 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Chiayi despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi 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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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,067 in Chiayi versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chiayi $1,067
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Chiayi versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chiayi $1,503
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Chiayi versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chiayi $1,940
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Chiayi is roughly 24% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiayi 21% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$1.91 ₫49.6K

152.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$22.84 ₫591.2K

105.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$4.54 ₫117.6K

25.55%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$1.85 ₫48.0K

81.62%

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

$0.88 NT$28.58

$0.56 ₫14.6K

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$0.32 ₫8,185

109.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

$1.06 ₫27.5K

168.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

$1.72 ₫44.5K

120.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.66 ₫42.9K

86.75%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$1.11 ₫28.7K

85.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$1.00 ₫25.9K

204.00%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$1.67 ₫43.1K

59.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$12.08 ₫312.8K

63.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$3.68 ₫95.2K

164.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$10.24 ₫265.1K

104.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$2.96 ₫76.5K

64.53%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.24 ₫32.2K

159.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$1.56 ₫40.3K

91.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$1.30 ₫33.6K

250.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$1.23 ₫31.9K

127.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$1.15 ₫29.8K

104.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$0.74 ₫19.1K

127.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$0.56 ₫14.4K

103.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$1.24 ₫32.1K

223.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-63.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$0.96 ₫24.9K

71.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

$1.53 ₫39.6K

42.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

$11.51 ₫297.9K

7.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$0.75 ₫19.5K

252.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-31.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$3.03 ₫78.5K

218.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$0.96 ₫24.8K

10.42%

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

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

5.75%

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

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-19.16%

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

$66.7 NT$2,164

$102 ₫2.6M

-34.56%

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

$17.52 NT$568

$5.89 ₫152.5K

197.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$10.49 ₫271.6K

156.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$25.54 ₫661.2K

24.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$3.53 ₫91.3K

178.75%

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

$660 NT$21.4K

$436 ₫11.3M

51.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-28.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$52.8 ₫1.4M

18.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$34.15 ₫884.1K

15.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-5.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$95.0 ₫2.5M

9.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$589 ₫15.3M

-37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$298 ₫7.7M

-15.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-32.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

0.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$490 ₫12.7M

330.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

8.64

-72.22%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 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.

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 45.4% $172

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 17.9% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 6.6% $8.6

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 48.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 6.4% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 36.7% $19

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 4.1% $0.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $369 in Chiayi and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiayi pays 331% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Chiayi vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $379 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

12:30 12:30 PM

1 h behind Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

9,456,700

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 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 TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiayi Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Chiayi. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 331% higher in Chiayi, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $369 in Chiayi versus $589 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 $1,067 per month in Chiayi versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 8% less than in Chiayi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,067 in Chiayi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Chiayi. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiayi 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Chiayi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.