Last update: Oct 2026

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

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.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Dong Hoi
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Dong Hoi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Dong Hoi

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Dong Hoi

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 Dong Hoi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 11% more expensive than in Dong Hoi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Dong Hoi 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.06 ₫53.3K

-3.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$19.14 ₫495.5K

20.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$3.53 ₫91.4K

34.84%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.03 ₫26.6K

80.58%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.32 ₫8,207

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.35 ₫8,961

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.53 ₫13.6K

94.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.26 ₫58.6K

-24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$0.90 ₫23.3K

21.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

1.94%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.53 ₫39.5K

7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$13.16 ₫340.8K

-6.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$3.40 ₫87.9K

5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.33 ₫241.6K

13.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.63 ₫68.0K

12.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.17 ₫30.3K

7.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.28 ₫33.2K

26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.58 ₫40.9K

-17.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.14 ₫29.5K

4.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.30 ₫33.7K

-12.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.00 ₫25.8K

-27.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.49 ₫12.6K

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$1.56 ₫40.5K

-17.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$7.76 ₫200.8K

60.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.82 ₫21.2K

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$2.08 ₫53.9K

-28.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.38 ₫9,744

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$6.19 ₫160.2K

84.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.04 ₫26.9K

-34.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.59 ₫15.3K

5.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$2.48 ₫64.3K

20.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.90 ₫23.2K

1.11%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$30.2K ₫782.1M

1.19%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$27.9K ₫722.2M

5.25%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$66.0 ₫1.7M

57.35%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$6.21 ₫160.7K

-6.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$8.22 ₫212.9K

27.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$24.91 ₫644.9K

4.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$7.56 ₫195.7K

57.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$3.33 ₫86.2K

16.82%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$160 ₫4.2M

174.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$15.0K ₫388.1M

60.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$46.26 ₫1.2M

10.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$27.48 ₫711.3K

28.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$100 ₫2.6M

-8.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$82.1 ₫2.1M

17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$403 ₫10.4M

44.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$299 ₫7.7M

-0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$729 ₫18.9M

78.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$593 ₫15.3M

22.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,459 ₫63.7M

94.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,128 ₫29.2M

64.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$398 ₫10.3M

22.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

23.43%

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

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

Last update for Dong Hoi: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Dong Hoi

$299 38.3% 0.7% $2.2

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Dong Hoi

$192 24.7% 7.4% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Dong Hoi

$115 14.8% 6.7% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Dong Hoi

$80 10.3% 33% $40

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Dong Hoi

$49 6.3% 23.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Dong Hoi

$32 4.1% 6.8% $2.3

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Dong Hoi

$12 1.5% 28% $4.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $403 in Dong Hoi. 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: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $19.00 in Dong Hoi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $192 per month, with Dong Hoi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Dong Hoi

🕒 Local time

19:36 7:36 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

91,601

💱 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

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

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Dong Hoi

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 Dong Hoi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 23% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $403 in Dong Hoi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $779 in Dong Hoi – 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, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Dong Hoi 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.