Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $769 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

37

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
Learn more

Criciuma Living Index
42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$769

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Criciuma versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Criciuma $769
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,146 in Criciuma versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Criciuma $1,146
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,523 in Criciuma versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Criciuma $1,523
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Criciuma costs roughly 10% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Criciuma 43% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.81 R$29.43

$1.98 ₫51.3K

193.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.21 R$113

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-4.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.94 R$30.09

$4.76 ₫123.2K

24.79%

Cappuccino

$1.39 R$7.05

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-25.27%

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

$1.09 R$5.52

$0.51 ₫13.3K

113.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.71

$0.32 ₫8,191

128.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.56 R$7.90

$1.03 ₫26.7K

51.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 R$10.16

$1.71 ₫44.4K

16.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 R$4.90

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$7.55

$1.09 ₫28.3K

36.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.57

$1.05 ₫27.2K

4.76%

Eggs

$2.00 R$10.13

$1.64 ₫42.6K

21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R$42.12

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-32.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.51 R$17.78

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-1.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.71 R$44.15

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-17.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 R$10.34

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.17

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.04

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-38.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 R$7.98

$1.31 ₫33.8K

19.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R$6.12

$1.19 ₫30.8K

1.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.51

$1.14 ₫29.6K

-4.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 R$4.15

$0.73 ₫18.8K

12.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.52

$0.56 ₫14.6K

23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.46

$1.28 ₫33.0K

92.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.73 R$23.97

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-62.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 R$5.68

$0.96 ₫24.9K

16.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 R$7.10

$1.48 ₫38.3K

-5.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$0.26 ₫6,704

284.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.09 R$203

$11.43 ₫296.0K

250.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 R$2.54

$0.68 ₫17.7K

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.01

$0.62 ₫16.1K

27.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.34 R$11.84

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-22.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.63

$0.91 ₫23.5K

43.96%

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

$23.4K R$118.8K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-23.32%

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

$30.9K R$156.9K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

5.39%

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

$72.1 R$365

$104 ₫2.7M

-30.54%

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

$12.31 R$62.4

$5.79 ₫149.9K

112.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.92 R$111

$10.48 ₫271.3K

109.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.52 R$145

$26.08 ₫675.1K

9.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.86 R$202

$11.90 ₫308.1K

234.96%

Cinema Ticket

$7.15 R$36.25

$3.89 ₫100.7K

83.80%

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

$170 R$861

$440 ₫11.4M

-61.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,980 R$15.1K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-87.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.26 R$250

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.58 R$150

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-15.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 R$414

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-11.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.36 R$215

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,227

$582 ₫15.1M

-58.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$210 R$1,063

$297 ₫7.7M

-29.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 R$2,072

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-68.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 R$1,370

$727 ₫18.8M

-62.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 R$6,054

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-75.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$633 R$3,209

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-65.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$317 R$1,606

$490 ₫12.7M

-35.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.74

8.64

24.31%

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

Last update for Criciuma: October 20, 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

Criciuma

$210 27.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 41.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Criciuma

$170 22.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 22.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Criciuma

$106 13.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 12.9% $14

Eating Out

Criciuma

$100 13%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 35.7% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Criciuma

$91 11.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 35.4% $32

Getting Around

Criciuma

$49 6.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 66.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Criciuma

$43 5.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 20.9% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $242 in Criciuma and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 55% 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: $22.00 in Criciuma vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $207 per month, with Criciuma cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

07:00 7:00 AM

17:00 5:00 PM

10 h ahead of Criciuma

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

214,493

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 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 BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Criciuma Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 16,830 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Criciuma
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

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

Criciuma is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 55% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $242 in Criciuma versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Criciuma runs roughly 248% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $170 in Criciuma versus $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $769 in Criciuma versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Criciuma but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Criciuma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Criciuma is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Criciuma 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 Criciuma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.