Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,183 in Taiwan, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
🇹🇼 Taiwan
$1,183
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 40.5% cheaper than Taiwan without rent, and 27.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 39.9% cheaper than Taiwan without rent, and 27.6% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.90 ₫49.1K
$4.86 NT$155
-60.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.32 ₫603.5K
$31.39 NT$1,002
-25.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.67 ₫120.9K
$5.48 NT$175
-14.78%
Cappuccino
$1.85 ₫47.9K
$2.89 NT$92.1
-35.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.4K
$0.99 NT$31.43
-43.43%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₫8,857
$0.68 NT$21.75
-50.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ₫26.2K
$1.86 NT$59.3
-45.70%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₫43.7K
$2.45 NT$78.0
-31.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ₫40.8K
$3.08 NT$98.2
-48.70%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.86 NT$59.3
-44.09%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$3.00 NT$95.7
-67.00%
Eggs
$1.60 ₫41.5K
$2.72 NT$86.8
-41.18%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 ₫316.6K
$18.38 NT$587
-33.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ₫91.7K
$9.07 NT$289
-60.97%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.44 ₫270.2K
$20.49 NT$654
-49.05%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 ₫79.9K
$4.69 NT$150
-34.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$2.72 NT$86.8
-53.68%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₫40.6K
$2.94 NT$93.7
-46.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$3.86 NT$123
-67.36%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 ₫30.4K
$2.82 NT$90.1
-58.51%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ₫29.7K
$2.29 NT$73.0
-49.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ₫18.7K
$2.13 NT$67.9
-66.20%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₫14.0K
$1.19 NT$38.02
-54.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.22 ₫31.5K
$3.87 NT$124
-68.48%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.28 ₫317.8K
$12.74 NT$406
-3.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.98 ₫25.4K
$1.71 NT$54.4
-42.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 ₫38.5K
$2.19 NT$69.8
-31.96%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₫7,249
$0.65 NT$20.69
-56.92%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.62 ₫300.8K
$38.53 NT$1,229
-69.84%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₫18.9K
$2.82 NT$90.0
-74.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₫16.7K
$0.82 NT$26.21
-21.95%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ₫82.0K
$9.67 NT$309
-67.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$1.02 NT$32.54
-6.86%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K ₫795.6M
$33.3K NT$1.1M
-7.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K ₫791.6M
$23.8K NT$760.9K
28.28%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ₫2.6M
$87.6 NT$2,797
16.73%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.65 ₫146.1K
$17.29 NT$552
-67.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.52 ₫272.2K
$23.97 NT$765
-56.11%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.86 ₫669.2K
$37.76 NT$1,205
-31.51%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.82 ₫305.9K
$11.77 NT$376
0.42%
Cinema Ticket
$3.39 ₫87.8K
$10.24 NT$327
-66.89%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$438 ₫11.3M
$562 NT$17.9K
-22.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₫603.1M
$16.2K NT$518.1K
43.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.5 ₫1.3M
$63.0 NT$2,009
-18.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.56 ₫894.3K
$33.32 NT$1,063
3.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 ₫2.4M
$82.8 NT$2,642
10.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.9 ₫2.5M
$104 NT$3,325
-8.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 ₫14.9M
$525 NT$16.7K
9.99%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 ₫7.6M
$318 NT$10.2K
-8.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 ₫33.5M
$1,126 NT$35.9K
14.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 ₫18.6M
$798 NT$25.5K
-10.18%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,714 ₫122.0M
$8,113 NT$258.9K
-41.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,882 ₫48.7M
$5,437 NT$173.5K
-65.38%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Taiwan
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$486 ₫12.6M
$1,752 NT$55.9K
-72.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
2.45
252.65%

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 Taiwan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$292
Taiwan
$318 8.9% $26
Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$206
Taiwan
$379 84.5% $174
Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$123
Taiwan
$127 4% $4.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118
Taiwan
$129 8.8% $10
Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63
Taiwan
$111 74.6% $47
Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33
Taiwan
$58 78.4% $26
Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17
Taiwan
$48 188% $31
Good to know
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇹🇼 Taiwan
🕒 Local time
20:52 8:52 PM
21:52 9:52 PM
1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,456,700
23,409,323
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, 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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Taiwan 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
  • Taiwan

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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