Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dong Hoi: $779 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Hoi
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Dong Hoi 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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Dong Hoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $779 in Dong Hoi versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dong Hoi $779
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,225 in Dong Hoi versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dong Hoi $1,225
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,671 in Dong Hoi versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dong Hoi $1,671
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Dong Hoi 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: Dong Hoi 42% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.06 ₫53.3K

$1.98 ₫51.3K

4.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.14 ₫495.5K

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-17.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-25.84%

Cappuccino

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-44.62%

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

$0.32 ₫8,207

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ₫8,961

$0.32 ₫8,191

9.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-48.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₫58.6K

$1.71 ₫44.4K

32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-17.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-1.90%

Eggs

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-6.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.16 ₫340.8K

$12.33 ₫319.2K

6.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ₫87.9K

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.33 ₫241.6K

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-11.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 ₫68.0K

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.3K

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-7.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₫33.2K

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-20.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ₫40.9K

$1.31 ₫33.8K

20.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-4.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.7K

$1.14 ₫29.6K

14.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.00 ₫25.8K

$0.73 ₫18.8K

36.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₫12.6K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.56 ₫40.5K

$1.28 ₫33.0K

21.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₫200.8K

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-37.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ₫21.2K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₫53.9K

$1.48 ₫38.3K

40.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₫9,744

$0.26 ₫6,704

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.19 ₫160.2K

$11.43 ₫296.0K

-45.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₫26.9K

$0.68 ₫17.7K

52.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-4.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.48 ₫64.3K

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-17.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-1.10%

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

$30.2K ₫782.1M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-1.17%

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

$27.9K ₫722.2M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-4.99%

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

$66.0 ₫1.7M

$104 ₫2.7M

-36.45%

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

$6.21 ₫160.7K

$5.79 ₫149.9K

7.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.22 ₫212.9K

$10.48 ₫271.3K

-21.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.91 ₫644.9K

$26.08 ₫675.1K

-4.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.56 ₫195.7K

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-36.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 ₫86.2K

$3.89 ₫100.7K

-14.40%

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

$160 ₫4.2M

$440 ₫11.4M

-63.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ₫388.1M

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-37.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.26 ₫1.2M

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-9.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.48 ₫711.3K

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-21.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 ₫2.6M

$92.1 ₫2.4M

8.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.1 ₫2.1M

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-14.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$403 ₫10.4M

$582 ₫15.1M

-30.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 ₫7.7M

$297 ₫7.7M

0.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ₫18.9M

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-43.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 ₫15.3M

$727 ₫18.8M

-18.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,459 ₫63.7M

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-48.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,128 ₫29.2M

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-39.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$398 ₫10.3M

$490 ₫12.7M

-18.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-18.98%

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

Last update for Dong Hoi: October 17, 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

Dong Hoi

$299 38.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 0.7% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Dong Hoi

$192 24.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Dong Hoi

$115 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 7.2% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dong Hoi

$80 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 49.3% $40

Eating Out

Dong Hoi

$49 6.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 30.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Dong Hoi

$32 4.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 7.3% $2.3

Getting Around

Dong Hoi

$12 1.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 39% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $403 in Dong Hoi and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 23% 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: $19.00 in Dong Hoi vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $208 per month, with Dong Hoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Dong Hoi

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

Same time as Dong Hoi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

91,601

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

On the map

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Between locations

Dong Hoi Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dong Hoi
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

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

Dong Hoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($779 vs $862 including rent). Dong Hoi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 23% 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: $403 in Dong Hoi 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 $779 per month in Dong Hoi versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dong Hoi runs roughly 85% 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 $779 in Dong Hoi versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dong Hoi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Dong Hoi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dong Hoi 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 Dong Hoi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.