Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Hue: $489 a month against $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Hue
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Hue Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$850

/mo nomad

Hue

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $489 in Hue.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850
Hue $489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,386 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $857 in Hue.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386
Hue $857

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,225 in Hue.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921
Hue $1,225

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 74% more expensive than in Hue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Hue 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₫54.6K

$1.18 ₫30.3K

80.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.43 ₫601.8K

$11.42 ₫293.3K

105.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ₫116.8K

$3.50 ₫89.9K

30.00%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₫45.7K

$1.07 ₫27.6K

66.36%

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

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$0.56 ₫14.3K

-5.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.34 ₫8,850

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫27.7K

$0.76 ₫19.4K

42.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.5K

$1.19 ₫30.4K

42.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.7K

$1.34 ₫34.5K

23.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ₫30.5K

$0.84 ₫21.7K

41.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.4K

$0.77 ₫19.9K

33.77%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫42.9K

$1.52 ₫39.1K

9.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫314.3K

$13.15 ₫337.7K

-6.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫90.8K

$4.28 ₫110.0K

-17.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₫263.3K

$9.49 ₫243.7K

8.01%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫79.9K

$2.42 ₫62.0K

28.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.4K

$1.06 ₫27.2K

15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₫36.8K

$1.30 ₫33.4K

10.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.4K

$0.66 ₫17.1K

84.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.8K

$0.92 ₫23.7K

30.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.9K

$1.13 ₫29.1K

6.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.7K

$0.60 ₫15.4K

21.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$0.43 ₫11.2K

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.23 ₫31.5K

$1.38 ₫35.5K

-10.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.55 ₫296.7K

$7.90 ₫202.9K

46.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫23.9K

$0.76 ₫19.6K

22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫37.9K

$1.29 ₫33.1K

14.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,210

$0.33 ₫8,512

-15.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫298.3K

$7.22 ₫185.4K

60.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.5K

$0.45 ₫11.6K

68.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫15.8K

$0.49 ₫12.5K

26.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ₫80.1K

$2.47 ₫63.3K

26.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$0.86 ₫22.0K

4.65%

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

$30.9K ₫793.6M

$31.0K ₫795.4M

-0.23%

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

$29.6K ₫759.9M

$28.7K ₫736.1M

3.23%

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

$99.8 ₫2.6M

$37.31 ₫958.2K

167.52%

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

$5.75 ₫147.6K

$6.14 ₫157.7K

-6.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ₫264.1K

$7.87 ₫202.0K

30.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 ₫466.8K

$39.40 ₫1.0M

-53.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.16 ₫312.2K

$7.77 ₫199.4K

56.50%

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 ₫100.1K

$3.49 ₫89.6K

11.75%

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

$530 ₫13.6M

$188 ₫4.8M

182.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K ₫684.0M

$9,074 ₫233.0M

193.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$31.38 ₫805.8K

68.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 ₫895.7K

$18.40 ₫472.6K

89.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₫2.4M

$38.17 ₫980.3K

149.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₫2.5M

$39.21 ₫1.0M

143.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ₫15.8M

$134 ₫3.4M

361.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.6M

$97.8 ₫2.5M

204.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 ₫33.7M

$524 ₫13.5M

150.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₫18.2M

$352 ₫9.0M

101.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,430 ₫113.8M

$1,526 ₫39.2M

190.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,011 ₫51.7M

$1,119 ₫28.7M

79.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ₫13.0M

$294 ₫7.5M

71.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.87

25.76%

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 Hue: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 35%

Hue

$98 20% 67.1% $200

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$205 24.1%

Hue

$182 37.3% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$125 14.7%

Hue

$57 11.7% 54.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$116 13.6%

Hue

$51 10.5% 55.7% $65

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.6%

Hue

$43 8.7% 33.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$26 3.1%

Hue

$46 9.5% 78.6% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Hue

$11 2.3% 31% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $134 in Hue. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 72% 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 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $11 in Hue for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $205 vs $182 per month, with Hue cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Hue

🕒 Local time

13:56 1:56 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,166,500

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Hue 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Hue

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 Hue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hue wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Hue the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 72% 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: $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $134 in Hue. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $850 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $489 in Hue – Hue is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Hue runs roughly 38% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Hue gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Expats usually find Hue gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.