Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Erdenet: $377 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $5,700 less a year. Rent and utilities 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Erdenet
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Erdenet Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Erdenet

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $377 in Erdenet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Erdenet $377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $617 in Erdenet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Erdenet $617

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $858 in Erdenet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Erdenet $858

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 127% more expensive than in Erdenet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Erdenet 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

-53.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$27.28 MNT 98.0K

-14.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.08 MNT 14.7K

14.46%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.29 MNT 8,214

-19.21%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.66 MNT 2,373

-15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.40 MNT 1,454

-15.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.70 MNT 6,100

-40.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$1.63 MNT 5,840

3.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.01 MNT 3,627

56.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$0.91 MNT 3,281

14.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$2.85 MNT 10.3K

-65.26%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.02 MNT 7,270

-20.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$7.05 MNT 25.3K

73.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$6.78 MNT 24.4K

-47.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$4.54 MNT 16.3K

129.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$2.24 MNT 8,038

37.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.68 MNT 6,054

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.63 MNT 5,857

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.37 MNT 4,925

-8.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.43 MNT 5,136

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$0.85 MNT 3,040

35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.41 MNT 5,071

-48.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.98 MNT 3,539

-44.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.83 MNT 10.2K

-56.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$5.67 MNT 20.4K

116.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.62 MNT 5,830

-39.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.65 MNT 5,938

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.15 MNT 549

86.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$19.59 MNT 70.4K

-40.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.61 MNT 2,209

19.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.43 MNT 1,546

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.75 MNT 2,689

26.67%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$57.7 MNT 207.4K

77.20%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$2.86 MNT 10.3K

97.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$14.06 MNT 50.5K

-25.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$281 MNT 1.0M

55.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$2,474 MNT 8.9M

841.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$218 MNT 782.9K

122.94%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Erdenet: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Erdenet

$188 50.3% 8.4% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Erdenet

$75 20% 37% $44

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Erdenet

$88 23.6% 39.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Erdenet

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Erdenet

$23 6.1% 37.5% $6.3

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

Cost Breakdown

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 123% 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 $27.00 in Erdenet. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $188, with Erdenet cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇳 Erdenet

🕒 Local time

15:53 3:53 PM

16:53 4:53 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

86,866

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,030 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Erdenet 4,260 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Erdenet

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 Erdenet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Erdenet differ by about 127% in total monthly costs ($855 vs $377 including rent). Erdenet is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 123% 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.

Childcare runs $438 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $281 in Erdenet. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $377 in Erdenet versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Erdenet but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Erdenet 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 Erdenet 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 Erdenet gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.