Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,126 in Mongolia, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
🇲🇳 Mongolia
$1,126
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 27.4% cheaper than Mongolia without rent, and 24.1% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 25.6% cheaper than Mongolia without rent, and 22.2% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.90 ₫49.1K
$5.72 MNT 20.6K
-66.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.32 ₫603.5K
$29.61 MNT 106.4K
-21.24%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.67 ₫120.9K
$5.36 MNT 19.3K
-12.87%
Cappuccino
$1.85 ₫47.9K
$2.37 MNT 8,505
-21.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.4K
$0.84 MNT 3,027
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₫8,857
$0.58 MNT 2,088
-41.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ₫26.2K
$2.38 MNT 8,553
-57.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₫43.7K
$3.43 MNT 12.3K
-50.73%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ₫40.8K
$1.42 MNT 5,101
11.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.00 MNT 3,598
4.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$2.17 MNT 7,792
-54.38%
Eggs
$1.60 ₫41.5K
$2.06 MNT 7,402
-22.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 ₫316.6K
$10.00 MNT 35.9K
22.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ₫91.7K
$5.08 MNT 18.3K
-30.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.44 ₫270.2K
$6.54 MNT 23.5K
59.63%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 ₫79.9K
$3.06 MNT 11.0K
0.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$2.19 MNT 7,873
-42.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₫40.6K
$3.73 MNT 13.4K
-57.91%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$3.05 MNT 11.0K
-58.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 ₫30.4K
$0.81 MNT 2,912
44.44%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ₫29.7K
$0.88 MNT 3,177
30.68%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ₫18.7K
$1.73 MNT 6,213
-58.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₫14.0K
$0.81 MNT 2,926
-33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.22 ₫31.5K
$1.65 MNT 5,945
-26.06%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.28 ₫317.8K
$9.89 MNT 35.5K
24.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 ₫25.4K
$1.39 MNT 4,991
-29.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ₫38.5K
$1.69 MNT 6,082
-11.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₫7,249
$0.29 MNT 1,042
-3.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.62 ₫300.8K
$16.53 MNT 59.4K
-29.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₫18.9K
$0.55 MNT 1,981
32.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₫16.7K
$0.56 MNT 2,028
14.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ₫82.0K
$6.23 MNT 22.4K
-49.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$1.10 MNT 3,962
-13.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K ₫795.6M
$27.9K MNT 100.1M
10.32%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K ₫791.6M
$32.1K MNT 115.2M
-4.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ₫2.6M
$70.1 MNT 251.8K
45.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.65 ₫146.1K
$7.13 MNT 25.6K
-20.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.52 ₫272.2K
$12.22 MNT 43.9K
-13.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.86 ₫669.2K
$66.3 MNT 238.1K
-60.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.82 ₫305.9K
$17.55 MNT 63.1K
-32.65%
Cinema Ticket
$3.39 ₫87.8K
$4.06 MNT 14.6K
-16.50%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$438 ₫11.3M
$769 MNT 2.8M
-43.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₫603.1M
$8,058 MNT 29.0M
189.23%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.5 ₫1.3M
$78.2 MNT 280.9K
-34.09%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.56 ₫894.3K
$48.93 MNT 175.8K
-29.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 ₫2.4M
$100 MNT 360.5K
-8.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.9 ₫2.5M
$164 MNT 589.7K
-42.17%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 ₫14.9M
$563 MNT 2.0M
2.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 ₫7.6M
$425 MNT 1.5M
-31.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 ₫33.5M
$1,648 MNT 5.9M
-21.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 ₫18.6M
$939 MNT 3.4M
-23.66%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,714 ₫122.0M
$1,846 MNT 6.6M
155.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,882 ₫48.7M
$946 MNT 3.4M
98.98%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mongolia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$486 ₫12.6M
$582 MNT 2.1M
-16.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
9.6
-10.00%

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 Mongolia: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$292
Mongolia
$425 45.4% $133
Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$206
Mongolia
$226 9.9% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$123
Mongolia
$176 43.8% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118
Mongolia
$89 24.5% $29
Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63
Mongolia
$115 80.8% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33
Mongolia
$74 128% $42
Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17
Mongolia
$21 26.1% $4.4
Good to know
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇲🇳 Mongolia
🕒 Local time
18:47 6:47 PM
19:47 7:47 PM
1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,456,700
3,409,939
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MNT, 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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Mongolia 4,130 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
  • Mongolia

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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