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

😐 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 5% more expensive than Kandy without rent, and 51.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 26.6% more expensive than Kandy without rent, and 58.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.05 ₫53.5K
$2.74 LKR 852
-25.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.72 ₫593.0K
$11.56 LKR 3,591
96.54%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.59 ₫119.8K
$6.55 LKR 2,036
-29.92%
Cappuccino
$1.71 ₫44.5K
$2.69 LKR 837
-36.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 ₫12.3K
$0.60 LKR 187
-21.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ₫7,921
$0.32 LKR 99.9
-6.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.05 ₫27.3K
$2.12 LKR 659
-50.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.51 ₫39.5K
$3.44 LKR 1,068
-56.10%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.52 ₫39.6K
$1.39 LKR 433
9.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 ₫26.6K
$0.56 LKR 175
82.14%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.95 ₫24.7K
$0.85 LKR 265
11.76%
Eggs
$1.43 ₫37.3K
$2.10 LKR 654
-31.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.82 ₫308.4K
$8.86 LKR 2,754
33.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.68 ₫96.0K
$4.78 LKR 1,485
-23.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.53 ₫274.7K
$8.26 LKR 2,566
27.48%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 ₫69.9K
$4.49 LKR 1,394
-40.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.11 ₫29.0K
$0.98 LKR 306
13.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.29 ₫33.7K
$3.73 LKR 1,159
-65.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.18 ₫30.8K
$1.26 LKR 393
-6.35%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 ₫29.4K
$1.10 LKR 342
2.73%
Onion (1kg)
$1.22 ₫31.7K
$1.26 LKR 391
-3.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ₫19.6K
$0.78 LKR 242
-3.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ₫12.4K
$0.60 LKR 187
-20.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.28 ₫33.3K
$9.15 LKR 2,842
-86.01%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.42 ₫350.1K
$12.33 LKR 3,832
8.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 ₫23.7K
$2.01 LKR 624
-54.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ₫38.8K
$2.81 LKR 873
-46.98%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₫6,724
$0.17 LKR 53.0
52.94%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$10.48 ₫273.5K
$14.81 LKR 4,600
-29.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.70 ₫18.3K
$0.42 LKR 130
66.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.69 ₫18.0K
$0.35 LKR 110
97.14%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 ₫78.2K
$0.44 LKR 136
581.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.89 ₫23.1K
$1.21 LKR 377
-26.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.2K ₫997.3M
$17.7K LKR 5.5M
116.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.6K ₫904.1M
$21.0K LKR 6.5M
64.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$85.2 ₫2.2M
$40.14 LKR 12.5K
112.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.75 ₫150.1K
$4.23 LKR 1,316
35.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.23 ₫240.9K
$15.38 LKR 4,780
-39.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$21.15 ₫551.9K
$15.11 LKR 4,695
39.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.29 ₫242.4K
$5.60 LKR 1,740
65.89%
Cinema Ticket
$4.25 ₫110.9K
$3.32 LKR 1,033
28.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$275 ₫7.2M
$37.55 LKR 11.7K
631.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.1K ₫367.2M
$327 LKR 101.7K
4197.22%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.92 ₫1.1M
$27.16 LKR 8,439
58.03%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$27.42 ₫715.4K
$14.47 LKR 4,496
89.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$98.4 ₫2.6M
$58.0 LKR 18.0K
69.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$86.3 ₫2.3M
$29.05 LKR 9,026
196.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$521 ₫13.6M
$133 LKR 41.4K
290.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ₫8.1M
$82.5 LKR 25.6K
274.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,132 ₫29.5M
$214 LKR 66.5K
429.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$644 ₫16.8M
$164 LKR 51.0K
292.22%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,099 ₫107.0M
$438 LKR 136.1K
835.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,948 ₫50.8M
$435 LKR 135.3K
347.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kandy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$496 ₫12.9M
$267 LKR 82.9K
85.99%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.14
15
-39.07%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): March 3, 2026

Last update for Kandy: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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