Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,143 in Taichung, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in Taichung despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Taichung
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Taichung Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Taichung

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,143 in Taichung.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Taichung $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,887 in Taichung.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Taichung $1,887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,631 in Taichung.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Taichung $2,631

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 25% less than in Taichung, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Taichung 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$4.68 NT$149

-59.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$32.12 NT$1,025

-27.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.85 NT$155

-3.71%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.75 NT$87.6

-32.73%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.03 NT$32.80

-45.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.74 NT$23.56

-54.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.56 NT$49.69

-35.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$2.78 NT$88.7

-39.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$3.27 NT$104

-51.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.76 NT$56.2

-40.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$2.66 NT$84.7

-62.78%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.62 NT$83.7

-38.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$29.33 NT$936

-58.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$8.13 NT$259

-56.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$17.14 NT$547

-39.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.22 NT$135

-26.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.92 NT$61.3

-34.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.99 NT$95.3

-47.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.15 NT$68.6

-41.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.20 NT$38.28

-2.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.97 NT$62.9

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$2.40 NT$76.7

-70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.90 NT$28.80

-40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.75 NT$120

-67.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$15.53 NT$495

-20.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.64 NT$52.3

-40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.47 NT$78.8

-39.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.72 NT$23.05

-61.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$31.97 NT$1,020

-63.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$2.70 NT$86.1

-72.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.92 NT$29.49

-30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$9.61 NT$307

-67.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.03 NT$32.76

-7.77%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$33.0K NT$1.1M

-6.94%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$22.7K NT$725.9K

34.45%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$127 NT$4,037

-19.14%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$14.84 NT$474

-61.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$21.00 NT$670

-49.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$32.96 NT$1,052

-21.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$11.63 NT$371

1.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$10.02 NT$320

-66.17%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$347 NT$11.1K

26.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$16.8K NT$537.2K

38.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$72.5 NT$2,314

-28.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$35.93 NT$1,147

-3.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$85.8 NT$2,738

6.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$117 NT$3,727

-18.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$396 NT$12.6K

45.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$273 NT$8,722

6.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$1,217 NT$38.8K

6.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$774 NT$24.7K

-7.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$8,642 NT$275.8K

-45.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$5,368 NT$171.3K

-64.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$1,432 NT$45.7K

-66.07%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Taichung: 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%

Taichung

$273 23.7% 6.4% $19

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Taichung

$379 32.8% 84.4% $173

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Taichung

$140 12.1% 14.2% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Taichung

$162 14.1% 37.1% $44

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Taichung

$105 9.1% 66% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Taichung

$53 4.6% 62.4% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Taichung

$42 3.7% 153% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $396 in Taichung. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Taichung pays 195% 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 Taichung for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $379 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇹🇼 Taichung

🕒 Local time

20:03 8:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,767,239

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Taichung 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taichung

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 Taichung: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Taichung. 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 195% lower in Taichung. 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 $396 in Taichung. 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 $1,143 in Taichung – a 34% 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 175% less than in Taichung. 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 $1,143 in Taichung, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Taichung. 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 Taichung 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 34% less than in Taichung. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.