Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Can Tho: $724 a month against $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Can Tho
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Can Tho Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$850

/mo nomad

Can Tho

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Can Tho

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Can Tho actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $850 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $724 in Can Tho, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850
Can Tho $724

A couple spends around $1,386 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,227 in Can Tho, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386
Can Tho $1,227

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,729 in Can Tho, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921
Can Tho $1,729

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 17% more than Can Tho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Can Tho are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Can Tho 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₫54.8K

$1.40 ₫36.0K

52.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.43 ₫603.7K

$23.71 ₫610.8K

-1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ₫117.1K

$3.78 ₫97.5K

20.37%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₫45.9K

$1.51 ₫39.0K

17.88%

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

$0.53 ₫13.6K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,213

$0.29 ₫7,591

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫27.8K

$1.07 ₫27.6K

0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.6K

$1.13 ₫29.1K

49.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.32 ₫34.0K

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ₫30.6K

$1.18 ₫30.3K

0.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.4K

$0.80 ₫20.7K

28.75%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.42 ₫36.6K

17.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫315.2K

$12.18 ₫313.7K

0.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.1K

$3.57 ₫92.0K

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₫264.1K

$9.94 ₫256.0K

3.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.2K

$3.14 ₫81.0K

-0.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$1.28 ₫33.1K

-4.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

$1.38 ₫35.4K

3.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$0.80 ₫20.7K

52.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.9K

$0.75 ₫19.4K

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$0.94 ₫24.2K

27.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.80 ₫20.5K

-8.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.23 ₫31.6K

$1.22 ₫31.4K

0.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.55 ₫297.6K

$7.67 ₫197.7K

50.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$0.95 ₫24.5K

-2.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.0K

$1.42 ₫36.5K

4.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,233

$0.31 ₫7,882

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫299.2K

$6.30 ₫162.3K

84.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.5K

$0.46 ₫11.8K

65.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫15.8K

$0.59 ₫15.2K

5.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ₫80.3K

$3.04 ₫78.4K

2.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$0.91 ₫23.6K

-1.10%

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

$30.9K ₫796.1M

$31.0K ₫799.0M

-0.36%

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

$29.6K ₫762.3M

$28.9K ₫745.6M

2.24%

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

$99.8 ₫2.6M

$49.32 ₫1.3M

102.37%

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

$5.75 ₫148.1K

$3.89 ₫100.3K

47.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ₫265.0K

$9.61 ₫247.6K

7.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 ₫468.3K

$20.23 ₫521.3K

-10.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.16 ₫313.2K

$7.59 ₫195.5K

60.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 ₫100.4K

$3.36 ₫86.5K

16.07%

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

$530 ₫13.7M

$190 ₫4.9M

178.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K ₫686.2M

$7,044 ₫181.4M

278.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$19.50 ₫502.4K

170.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 ₫898.5K

$19.70 ₫507.6K

77.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₫2.5M

$92.5 ₫2.4M

2.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₫2.5M

$94.4 ₫2.4M

1.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ₫15.9M

$432 ₫11.1M

42.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$282 ₫7.3M

5.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 ₫33.8M

$659 ₫17.0M

99.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₫18.2M

$697 ₫18.0M

1.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,430 ₫114.1M

$2,427 ₫62.5M

82.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,011 ₫51.8M

$1,355 ₫34.9M

48.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ₫13.0M

$161 ₫4.1M

214.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 31, 2026

Last update for Can Tho: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 35%

Can Tho

$282 39% 5.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$205 24.1%

Can Tho

$188 26% 8.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$125 14.7%

Can Tho

$102 14.1% 18.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$116 13.6%

Can Tho

$63 8.7% 45.8% $53

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.6%

Can Tho

$52 7.1% 19.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$26 3.1%

Can Tho

$27 3.7% 3.8% $1

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Can Tho

$11 1.5% 34% $5.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $432 in Can Tho. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $24 in Can Tho. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $188 in Can Tho – so Can Tho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Can Tho

🕒 Local time

15:34 3:34 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,258,900

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Can Tho 130 km

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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

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

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 17%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,275 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,086 in Can Tho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Can Tho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $432 there versus $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Groceries cost about 9% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $24 in Can Tho. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $724 in Can Tho, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Can Tho – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Can Tho. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.