Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $880 in Hoi An, rent and utilities included – about $320 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Hoi An outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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
42

Cost of Living Index in Hoi An
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Hoi An Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Hoi An

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $880 in Hoi An.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Hoi An $880

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,278 in Hoi An.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Hoi An $1,278

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,677 in Hoi An.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Hoi An $1,677

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 3% less than in Hoi An.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Hoi An 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$2.09 ₫54.0K

-8.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫591.8K

$18.11 ₫467.3K

26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.0K

$3.76 ₫97.0K

24.73%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.4K

$1.68 ₫43.3K

7.14%

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

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.60 ₫15.6K

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,802

$0.32 ₫8,194

6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.31 ₫33.9K

-21.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$1.33 ₫34.2K

29.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.0K

$1.59 ₫41.0K

5.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.21 ₫31.2K

-9.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.2K

$0.99 ₫25.6K

7.07%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.54 ₫39.7K

3.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫311.8K

$13.26 ₫342.1K

-8.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.4K

$4.18 ₫107.9K

-12.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.0K

$9.58 ₫247.2K

8.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$2.67 ₫68.9K

12.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.09 ₫28.0K

15.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$0.99 ₫25.4K

63.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.40 ₫36.2K

-9.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.20 ₫31.1K

-1.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.08 ₫28.0K

10.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.62 ₫16.0K

25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.50 ₫12.8K

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.51 ₫38.9K

-16.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.5K

$7.80 ₫201.3K

64.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$0.92 ₫23.6K

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.53 ₫39.4K

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.24 ₫6,222

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫294.7K

$3.97 ₫102.4K

187.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$0.94 ₫24.2K

-25.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.2K

$0.55 ₫14.3K

14.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.7K

$3.81 ₫98.2K

-18.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$0.89 ₫22.9K

6.74%

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

$30.5K ₫787.4M

$30.8K ₫795.4M

-1.01%

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

$29.7K ₫767.0M

$27.8K ₫717.8M

6.85%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$77.0 ₫2.0M

32.80%

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

$5.65 ₫145.7K

$6.47 ₫166.9K

-12.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.2K

$8.38 ₫216.2K

24.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.1K

$16.48 ₫425.2K

17.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫304.8K

$4.71 ₫121.6K

150.74%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.8K

$3.18 ₫82.0K

20.44%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$117 ₫3.0M

312.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫601.6M

$17.0K ₫439.2M

36.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.3M

$45.33 ₫1.2M

15.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫886.3K

$27.65 ₫713.5K

24.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$69.2 ₫1.8M

33.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$82.7 ₫2.1M

13.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$432 ₫11.1M

49.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$398 ₫10.3M

-25.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$546 ₫14.1M

136.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$620 ₫16.0M

15.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.6M

$1,557 ₫40.2M

177.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$985 ₫25.4M

101.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.6M

$288 ₫7.4M

70.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

10.34

-16.44%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Last update for Hoi An: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Hoi An

$398 45.3% 34% $101

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Hoi An

$196 22.3% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Hoi An

$101 11.5% 17.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Hoi An

$92 10.4% 22.4% $26

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Hoi An

$61 6.9% 3.3% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Hoi An

$23 2.6% 15.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Hoi An

$8.6 1% 47.3% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $432 in Hoi An. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $18 in Hoi An for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $196 per month, with Hoi An cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Hoi An

🕒 Local time

21:30 9:30 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

120,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Hoi An 590 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Hoi An

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 Hoi An: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 70% 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $432 in Hoi An. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $880 in Hoi An – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Hoi An runs roughly 65% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Hoi An are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.