Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,589 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,589 in Medellin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Medellin $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,364 in Medellin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Medellin $2,364

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,139 in Medellin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Medellin $3,139

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 46% less than in Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below, Medellin is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$8.01 COP 25.5K

-76.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$46.55 COP 148.3K

-49.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$9.43 COP 30.1K

-50.48%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.91 COP 9,277

-36.43%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.75 COP 5,585

-68.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$1.32 COP 4,218

-74.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$3.13 COP 9,969

-67.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$5.55 COP 17.7K

-69.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.41 COP 4,495

12.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.44 COP 7,777

-57.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.63 COP 5,191

-39.26%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.82 COP 8,990

-43.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$9.69 COP 30.9K

26.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$9.32 COP 29.7K

-62.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$13.46 COP 42.9K

-22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.00 COP 12.8K

-22.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.48 COP 4,719

-14.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.12 COP 6,768

-25.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.25 COP 7,178

-44.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.91 COP 6,092

-38.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.62 COP 5,160

-29.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.15 COP 3,658

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.26 COP 4,021

-57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.82 COP 12.2K

-68.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$13.11 COP 41.8K

-6.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.60 COP 5,083

-38.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.26 COP 7,188

-34.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$1.17 COP 3,731

-76.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$75.0 COP 239.0K

-84.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.27 COP 4,056

-42.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$2.05 COP 6,531

-68.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$8.20 COP 26.1K

-61.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.27 COP 4,046

-25.20%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$26.8K COP 85.3M

14.81%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$34.4K COP 109.6M

-11.10%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$162 COP 516.9K

-36.93%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$13.12 COP 41.8K

-56.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$28.09 COP 89.5K

-62.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$44.33 COP 141.2K

-41.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$16.33 COP 52.0K

-27.62%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$6.09 COP 19.4K

-44.33%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$764 COP 2.4M

-42.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$8,904 COP 28.4M

161.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$85.0 COP 270.8K

-39.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$57.5 COP 183.2K

-39.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$132 COP 419.8K

-30.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$95.8 COP 305.1K

-0.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$604 COP 1.9M

-51.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$1,802 COP 5.7M

-28.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$993 COP 3.2M

-27.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$3,921 COP 12.5M

20.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,639 COP 5.2M

14.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$626 COP 2.0M

-22.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

10.94

-21.02%

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 Medellin: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Medellin

$604 38.3% 107% $312

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Medellin

$288 18.3% 40.3% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 35.8% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Medellin

$203 12.9% 71.7% $85

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Medellin

$166 10.6% 162% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Medellin

$57 3.6% 73.1% $24

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Medellin

$91 5.8% 446% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,028 in Medellin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Medellin pays 29% 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: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $47.00 in Medellin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $288 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

12 h behind Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.14 USD

10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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 = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3,187 COP (10,000 COP = 3.14 USD). 1 EUR = 3,574 COP (10,000 COP = 2.8 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Medellin 18,100 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 86% lower than in Medellin. 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.

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Medellin. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,028 in Medellin. 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 $1,589 in Medellin – a 86% 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 546% less than in Medellin. 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 $1,589 in Medellin, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Medellin. 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 Medellin 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 86% less than in Medellin. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.