Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $2,007 in Macao (China), rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
🇲🇴 Macao (China)
$2,007
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 52.2% cheaper than Macao (China) without rent, and 57.4% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 51.7% cheaper than Macao (China) without rent, and 52.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.90 ₫49.1K
$6.20 MOP 50.1
-69.35%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.32 ₫603.5K
$54.6 MOP 441
-57.31%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.67 ₫120.9K
$6.01 MOP 48.55
-22.30%
Cappuccino
$1.85 ₫47.9K
$5.00 MOP 40.42
-63.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.4K
$1.03 MOP 8.33
-45.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₫8,857
$0.84 MOP 6.78
-59.52%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ₫26.2K
$5.69 MOP 46.01
-82.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₫43.7K
$7.40 MOP 59.8
-77.16%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ₫40.8K
$3.10 MOP 25.02
-49.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.76 MOP 14.24
-40.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$1.67 MOP 13.53
-40.72%
Eggs
$1.60 ₫41.5K
$3.50 MOP 28.26
-54.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 ₫316.6K
$16.22 MOP 131
-24.60%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ₫91.7K
$19.20 MOP 155
-81.56%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.44 ₫270.2K
$29.10 MOP 235
-64.12%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 ₫79.9K
$2.66 MOP 21.52
16.17%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$2.87 MOP 23.18
-56.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₫40.6K
$1.86 MOP 15.03
-15.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$2.44 MOP 19.75
-48.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 ₫30.4K
$3.92 MOP 31.70
-70.15%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ₫29.7K
$2.90 MOP 23.47
-60.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ₫18.7K
$0.61 MOP 4.95
18.03%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₫14.0K
$1.19 MOP 9.62
-54.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.22 ₫31.5K
$6.64 MOP 53.7
-81.63%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.28 ₫317.8K
$12.56 MOP 102
-2.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 ₫25.4K
$1.77 MOP 14.32
-44.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ₫38.5K
$2.30 MOP 18.57
-35.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₫7,249
$0.72 MOP 5.78
-61.11%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.62 ₫300.8K
$22.67 MOP 183
-48.74%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₫18.9K
$2.67 MOP 21.58
-72.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₫16.7K
$1.25 MOP 10.07
-48.80%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ₫82.0K
$14.67 MOP 119
-78.39%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$1.79 MOP 14.47
-46.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K ₫795.6M
$30.9K MOP 249.8K
-0.54%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K ₫791.6M
$30.9K MOP 249.3K
-0.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ₫2.6M
$123 MOP 993
-16.69%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.65 ₫146.1K
$23.91 MOP 193
-76.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.52 ₫272.2K
$36.43 MOP 294
-71.12%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.86 ₫669.2K
$68.6 MOP 554
-62.29%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.82 ₫305.9K
$3.61 MOP 29.22
227.42%
Cinema Ticket
$3.39 ₫87.8K
$13.98 MOP 113
-75.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$438 ₫11.3M
$1,214 MOP 9,811
-63.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₫603.1M
$19.0K MOP 153.6K
22.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.5 ₫1.3M
$69.8 MOP 564
-26.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.56 ₫894.3K
$33.68 MOP 272
2.61%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 ₫2.4M
$94.4 MOP 763
-3.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.9 ₫2.5M
$137 MOP 1,105
-30.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 ₫14.9M
$1,089 MOP 8,798
-47.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 ₫7.6M
$928 MOP 7,498
-68.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 ₫33.5M
$2,061 MOP 16.7K
-37.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 ₫18.6M
$1,661 MOP 13.4K
-56.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,714 ₫122.0M
$10.7K MOP 86.1K
-55.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,882 ₫48.7M
$8,213 MOP 66.4K
-77.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Macao (China)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$486 ₫12.6M
$2,017 MOP 16.3K
-75.92%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
3
188.00%

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 Macao (China): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$292
Macao (China)
$928 218% $636
Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$206
Macao (China)
$424 106% $219
Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$123
Macao (China)
$151 22.9% $28
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118
Macao (China)
$183 54.6% $65
Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63
Macao (China)
$178 181% $115
Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33
Macao (China)
$97 196% $64
Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17
Macao (China)
$34 106% $18
Good to know
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇲🇴 Macao (China)
🕒 Local time
16:56 4:56 PM
17:56 5:56 PM
1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,456,700
682,100
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MOP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

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).

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Macao (China) 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
  • Macao (China)

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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