Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $909 in Pingtung city, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Pingtung city 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 Pingtung city
Learn more

Pingtung city Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $909 in Pingtung city.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Pingtung city $909

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,474 in Pingtung city.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Pingtung city $1,474

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,038 in Pingtung city.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Pingtung city $2,038

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 6% less than in Pingtung city, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$5.52 NT$179

-65.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$31.64 NT$1,026

-27.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.71 NT$153

-3.61%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.87 NT$93.1

-35.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.98 NT$31.82

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.68 NT$21.92

-52.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.54 NT$49.83

-31.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.52 NT$81.6

-31.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$3.22 NT$104

-48.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.91 NT$62.0

-41.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$2.60 NT$84.2

-61.54%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.65 NT$86.0

-36.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$15.60 NT$506

-22.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$8.06 NT$261

-54.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$15.09 NT$489

-32.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$4.33 NT$140

-31.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.87 NT$60.7

-33.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.49 NT$80.8

-37.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$3.19 NT$104

-59.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.18 NT$38.37

4.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.93 NT$62.7

-40.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.33 NT$75.6

-68.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.85 NT$27.60

-34.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.81 NT$123

-67.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$15.42 NT$500

-18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.55 NT$50.2

-38.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.24 NT$72.5

-31.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.49 NT$15.89

-46.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$2.70 NT$87.5

-72.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.74 NT$24.04

-9.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.40 NT$207

-52.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.03 NT$33.32

-6.80%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

-8.81%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$23.0K NT$746.1K

31.94%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$111 NT$3,590

-7.88%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$15.11 NT$490

-61.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$25.70 NT$833

-59.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$9.58 NT$311

-63.15%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$344 NT$11.2K

26.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$14.0K NT$453.1K

66.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$70.8 NT$2,297

-25.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$31.23 NT$1,013

9.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$82.4 NT$2,670

9.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$104 NT$3,359

-8.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$247 NT$8,018

138.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$155 NT$5,023

92.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$746 NT$24.2K

73.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$375 NT$12.2K

89.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,912 NT$62.0K

-74.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

2.27

280.62%

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 Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Pingtung city

$155 17% 48% $143

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Pingtung city

$334 36.7% 60.9% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Pingtung city

$130 14.3% 5.8% $7.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Pingtung city

$152 16.7% 28% $33

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Pingtung city

$112 12.3% 76.6% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1% 41.2% $13

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9% 49.8% $8.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $247 in Pingtung city. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pingtung city pays 291% 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 $32.00 in Pingtung city for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $334 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

05:59 5:59 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

201,644

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Pingtung city 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Pingtung city

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 Pingtung city: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Pingtung city. 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 291% lower in Pingtung city. 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 $247 in Pingtung city. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Pingtung city. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $909 in Pingtung city – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $909 in Pingtung city, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Pingtung city. 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 Pingtung city 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 Pingtung city. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.