Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mandalgovi: $634 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Mandalgovi
Learn more

Mandalgovi Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Mandalgovi

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $634 in Mandalgovi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Mandalgovi $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,056 in Mandalgovi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Mandalgovi $1,056

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,477 in Mandalgovi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Mandalgovi $1,477

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 35% more expensive than in Mandalgovi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Mandalgovi 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$5.72 MNT 20.5K

-66.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$31.77 MNT 114.2K

-26.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$5.70 MNT 20.5K

-18.07%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.49 MNT 8,944

-25.70%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.88 MNT 3,168

-36.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.62 MNT 2,217

-45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$2.33 MNT 8,362

-56.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$3.35 MNT 12.0K

-49.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.46 MNT 5,236

8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$0.98 MNT 3,507

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$2.09 MNT 7,518

-52.63%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.05 MNT 7,379

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$12.58 MNT 45.2K

-2.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.82 MNT 17.3K

-26.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$7.38 MNT 26.5K

41.46%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.15 MNT 11.3K

-1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.38 MNT 8,555

-47.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.82 MNT 13.7K

-58.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$3.04 MNT 10.9K

-58.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.75 MNT 2,684

56.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.08 MNT 3,878

6.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.74 MNT 6,269

-58.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.77 MNT 2,767

-29.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$1.69 MNT 6,081

-27.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$10.27 MNT 36.9K

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.50 MNT 5,403

-34.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.80 MNT 6,470

-17.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.52 MNT 1,863

40.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.55 MNT 1,960

16.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$6.30 MNT 22.6K

-49.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.06 MNT 3,812

-10.38%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$26.6K MNT 95.6M

15.50%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$34.8K MNT 125.2M

-12.21%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$69.9 MNT 251.1K

46.37%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$7.74 MNT 27.8K

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$13.71 MNT 49.3K

-23.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$4.10 MNT 14.7K

-17.32%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$809 MNT 2.9M

-45.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$8,442 MNT 30.3M

176.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$83.4 MNT 299.7K

-38.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$44.82 MNT 161.0K

-22.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$105 MNT 377.5K

-13.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$191 MNT 685.9K

-50.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

10.32

-16.28%

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 Mandalgovi: 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%

Mandalgovi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Mandalgovi

$238 36.7% 15.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Mandalgovi

$191 29.4% 55.8% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Mandalgovi

$91 14.1% 22.9% $27

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Mandalgovi

$117 18.1% 84.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Mandalgovi

$8.2 * 1.3% 74.9% $24

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Mandalgovi

$3.3 * 0.5% 80.5% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $32.00 in Mandalgovi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $238 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇳 Mandalgovi

🕒 Local time

19:07 7:07 PM

20:07 8:07 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

10,888

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,593 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,026 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.48 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Mandalgovi 3,890 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mandalgovi

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 Mandalgovi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandalgovi wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mandalgovi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $951 in Mandalgovi 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.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 16% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $634 in Mandalgovi – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $634 in Mandalgovi versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandalgovi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mandalgovi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mandalgovi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mandalgovi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mandalgovi 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 Mandalgovi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.