Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,103 in Kinmen, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. The total is higher in Kinmen despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
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Kinmen Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,103

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,103 in Kinmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Kinmen $1,103

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,846 in Kinmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Kinmen $1,846

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,588 in Kinmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Kinmen $2,588

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 22% less than in Kinmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Kinmen 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$4.63 NT$148

-58.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$30.89 NT$986

-24.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.62 NT$147

1.08%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.93 NT$93.4

-36.86%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.91 NT$29.15

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.64 NT$20.42

-46.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.55 NT$49.41

-34.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$2.54 NT$81.0

-33.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$3.03 NT$96.5

-47.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.90 NT$60.8

-45.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$3.28 NT$105

-69.82%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.66 NT$84.9

-39.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$17.16 NT$548

-28.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$7.93 NT$253

-55.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$22.08 NT$705

-52.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.20 NT$134

-26.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.13 NT$68.0

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.02 NT$96.4

-48.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$3.39 NT$108

-62.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$2.82 NT$90.1

-58.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.20 NT$70.2

-47.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$2.09 NT$66.6

-65.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.04 NT$33.16

-48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.38 NT$108

-63.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$12.50 NT$399

-1.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.63 NT$52.2

-39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.30 NT$73.4

-35.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.71 NT$22.54

-60.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$32.25 NT$1,029

-63.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$2.61 NT$83.3

-72.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.90 NT$28.74

-28.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$9.69 NT$309

-67.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.07 NT$34.15

-11.21%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$36.4K NT$1.2M

-15.60%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$25.8K NT$823.9K

18.47%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$87.2 NT$2,783

17.28%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$16.22 NT$518

-65.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$22.12 NT$706

-52.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$40.94 NT$1,306

-36.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$8.63 NT$275

-60.72%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$585 NT$18.7K

-25.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$16.0K NT$510.0K

45.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$72.2 NT$2,305

-28.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$27.56 NT$880

25.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$91.1 NT$2,908

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$89.4 NT$2,852

6.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$409 NT$13.1K

40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$254 NT$8,118

14.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$986 NT$31.5K

31.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$743 NT$23.7K

-3.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$7,945 NT$253.5K

-40.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$4,645 NT$148.2K

-59.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

2.38

263.03%

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 Kinmen: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Kinmen

$254 23.6% 12.9% $38

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Kinmen

$365 33.9% 77.4% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Kinmen

$126 11.7% 2.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Kinmen

$126 11.7% 6% $7.1

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Kinmen

$105 9.8% 65.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Kinmen

$58 5.4% 78.3% $26

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Kinmen

$42 3.9% 153% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $409 in Kinmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $31.00 in Kinmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $365 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🕒 Local time

19:54 7:54 PM

20:54 8:54 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

12,568

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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 = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Kinmen 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kinmen

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 Kinmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Kinmen. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,654 in Kinmen to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $409 in Kinmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,103 in Kinmen – a 29% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 178% less than in Kinmen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,103 in Kinmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Kinmen. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $855 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kinmen 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Kinmen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.