Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,068 in Tainan, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Tainan 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Tainan
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Tainan Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Tainan

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,068 in Tainan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Tainan $1,068

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,837 in Tainan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Tainan $1,837

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,606 in Tainan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Tainan $2,606

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 20% less than in Tainan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Tainan 21% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.74 NT$121

-48.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$24.62 NT$799

-7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.79 NT$155

-5.22%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.27 NT$106

-43.43%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.95 NT$30.66

-41.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.63 NT$20.54

-49.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$2.86 NT$92.6

-62.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.49 NT$113

-50.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$3.09 NT$100

-46.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.77 NT$57.5

-37.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$3.15 NT$102

-68.25%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.75 NT$89.3

-39.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$19.50 NT$632

-38.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$9.88 NT$320

-62.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$21.04 NT$682

-51.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$4.96 NT$161

-40.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$2.86 NT$92.7

-56.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.00 NT$97.4

-48.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$4.48 NT$145

-70.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.66 NT$86.4

-53.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.27 NT$73.6

-49.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.71 NT$55.3

-56.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.15 NT$37.31

-51.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.81 NT$124

-67.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$13.94 NT$452

-9.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.65 NT$53.4

-41.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.17 NT$70.3

-29.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.61 NT$19.68

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$33.89 NT$1,099

-66.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$2.53 NT$82.2

-70.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.77 NT$24.92

-12.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$5.74 NT$186

-47.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.01 NT$32.90

-4.95%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$32.8K NT$1.1M

-5.29%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$24.1K NT$780.6K

26.12%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$87.2 NT$2,828

16.94%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$17.51 NT$568

-66.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$21.30 NT$691

-50.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$45.65 NT$1,480

-44.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$9.60 NT$311

-63.23%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$433 NT$14.1K

0.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$5,413 NT$175.5K

330.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$63.2 NT$2,050

-16.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$39.20 NT$1,271

-12.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$83.7 NT$2,716

7.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$103 NT$3,353

-8.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$297 NT$9,624

98.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$200 NT$6,470

49.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$845 NT$27.4K

53.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$696 NT$22.6K

2.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$4,123 NT$133.7K

13.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$3,022 NT$98.0K

-37.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,376 NT$44.6K

-64.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

2.4

260.00%

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 Tainan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Tainan

$200 18.7% 33% $98

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Tainan

$393 36.9% 89.8% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Tainan

$130 12.2% 6.4% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Tainan

$126 11.8% 6.5% $7.7

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Tainan

$111 10.4% 75.1% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Tainan

$65 6.1% 98.9% $32

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Tainan

$43 4% 156% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $297 in Tainan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tainan pays 181% 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 $25.00 in Tainan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $393 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇹🇼 Tainan

🕒 Local time

10:41 10:41 AM

11:41 11:41 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,886,033

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Tainan 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Tainan

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 Tainan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Tainan. 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 181% lower in Tainan. 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 $297 in Tainan. 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 $1,068 in Tainan – a 24% 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 194% less than in Tainan. 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 $1,068 in Tainan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Tainan. 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 Tainan 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 24% less than in Tainan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.