Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $908 in Nalaikh, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Nalaikh despite lower rent and utilities.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Nalaikh
Learn more

Nalaikh Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Nalaikh

🇲🇳 Mongolia

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $908 in Nalaikh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Nalaikh $908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,425 in Nalaikh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Nalaikh $1,425

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,941 in Nalaikh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Nalaikh $1,941

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 5% less than in Nalaikh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Nalaikh 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.48 MNT 16.1K

-57.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$26.21 MNT 94.3K

-12.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.40 MNT 15.8K

3.18%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.18 MNT 7,856

-15.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.72 MNT 2,602

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.40 MNT 1,449

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.42 MNT 5,089

-25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.17 MNT 7,792

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.21 MNT 4,363

37.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.80 MNT 2,885

38.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.59 MNT 5,728

-37.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.05 MNT 7,373

-18.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$12.43 MNT 44.7K

-2.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.22 MNT 15.2K

-12.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$5.64 MNT 20.3K

81.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.11 MNT 11.2K

-4.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$2.48 MNT 8,905

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.65 MNT 13.1K

-57.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$2.84 MNT 10.2K

-54.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.58 MNT 2,091

112.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.93 MNT 3,341

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.22 MNT 4,381

-39.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.60 MNT 2,148

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.66 MNT 5,957

-25.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.29 MNT 29.8K

51.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.96 MNT 3,444

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.59 MNT 5,720

-3.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.15 MNT 528

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$6.04 MNT 21.7K

90.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.55 MNT 1,976

36.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.51 MNT 1,847

31.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.48 MNT 8,914

22.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.01 MNT 3,625

-4.95%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$26.5K MNT 95.4M

17.07%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.4K MNT 59.0M

84.93%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$70.2 MNT 252.5K

45.25%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.92 MNT 24.9K

-14.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$10.94 MNT 39.4K

-4.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$55.0 MNT 197.7K

-53.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$13.99 MNT 50.3K

-14.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$2.72 MNT 9,791

29.78%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$123 MNT 441.5K

255.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$5,604 MNT 20.2M

315.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$61.7 MNT 222.0K

-14.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$45.76 MNT 164.6K

-25.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$84.8 MNT 304.8K

6.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$125 MNT 448.9K

-23.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$418 MNT 1.5M

41.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$307 MNT 1.1M

-2.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$1,256 MNT 4.5M

2.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$575 MNT 2.1M

23.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,362 MNT 4.9M

243.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$848 MNT 3.0M

124.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$523 MNT 1.9M

-6.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

72.80%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Nalaikh: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Nalaikh

$307 33.8% 3% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Nalaikh

$209 23.1% 1% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Nalaikh

$143 15.7% 16.5% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Nalaikh

$88 9.7% 25.6% $30

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Nalaikh

$91 10% 43.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Nalaikh

$60 6.7% 85.4% $28

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Nalaikh

$9.7 1.1% 41.5% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $418 in Nalaikh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nalaikh pays 7% 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 $26.00 in Nalaikh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $209 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇲🇳 Nalaikh

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

05:15 5:15 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

30,049

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Mongolian Tögrög MNT ₮

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD

10,000 MNT = 2.47 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Mongolian Tögrög exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3,596 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.78 USD). 1 EUR = 4,043 MNT (10,000 MNT = 2.47 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Nalaikh 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Nalaikh

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 Nalaikh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Nalaikh. 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 7% lower in Nalaikh. 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $418 in Nalaikh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $908 in Nalaikh – a 6% 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 91% less than in Nalaikh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $908 in Nalaikh, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Nalaikh. 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 $859 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 Nalaikh 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 6% less than in Nalaikh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.