Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tay Ninh: $437 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Tay Ninh
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Tay Ninh Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Tay Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $437 in Tay Ninh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Tay Ninh $437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $712 in Tay Ninh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Tay Ninh $712

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $987 in Tay Ninh.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Tay Ninh $987

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 95% more expensive than in Tay Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Tay Ninh 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$1.25 ₫32.2K

52.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$11.46 ₫296.0K

100.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$3.88 ₫100.3K

20.88%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$0.87 ₫22.4K

106.90%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.35 ₫8,912

-2.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.83 ₫21.5K

24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$1.03 ₫26.6K

66.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.23 ₫31.7K

35.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$0.70 ₫18.2K

55.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$0.74 ₫19.0K

43.24%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$1.30 ₫33.5K

23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$12.07 ₫311.7K

0.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$1.95 ₫50.4K

87.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$6.98 ₫180.4K

48.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$1.79 ₫46.1K

68.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$0.80 ₫20.6K

57.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$0.79 ₫20.5K

105.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.16 ₫30.1K

9.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.19 ₫30.7K

-0.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.14 ₫29.4K

4.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.60 ₫15.6K

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.50 ₫13.0K

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.16 ₫30.0K

8.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$6.53 ₫168.8K

96.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$0.80 ₫20.8K

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.03 ₫26.5K

41.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.37 ₫9,471

-24.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$6.51 ₫168.1K

75.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.19 ₫4,979

268.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.62 ₫16.1K

1.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$3.14 ₫81.1K

-1.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.76 ₫19.6K

25.00%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$31.1K ₫804.5M

-2.02%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$29.0K ₫748.7M

2.55%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$30.13 ₫778.3K

239.26%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$5.94 ₫153.4K

-4.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$6.99 ₫180.4K

49.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$24.63 ₫636.2K

-21.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$7.50 ₫193.7K

57.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$3.53 ₫91.2K

8.50%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$110 ₫2.8M

339.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$5,369 ₫138.7M

334.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$14.52 ₫375.1K

259.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$11.77 ₫304.1K

191.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$78.4 ₫2.0M

17.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$53.0 ₫1.4M

77.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$154 ₫4.0M

319.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$87.8 ₫2.3M

238.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$348 ₫9.0M

270.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$201 ₫5.2M

257.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$2,257 ₫58.3M

91.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,198 ₫30.9M

65.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$226 ₫5.8M

116.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Last update for Tay Ninh: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Tay Ninh

$88 20.1% 70.4% $209

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Tay Ninh

$150 34.4% 27.6% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Tay Ninh

$71 16.2% 42.3% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Tay Ninh

$43 9.9% 63.6% $75

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Tay Ninh

$42 9.6% 33.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Tay Ninh

$32 7.3% 17.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Tay Ninh

$11 2.6% 31.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $154 in Tay Ninh. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $11 in Tay Ninh for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $150 per month, with Tay Ninh cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Tay Ninh

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

135,254

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Tay Ninh 89 km

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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 Tay Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tay Ninh wins on cost – living expenses run 49% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tay Ninh the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 2.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $154 in Tay Ninh. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $437 in Tay Ninh – Tay Ninh is about 49% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tay Ninh runs roughly 43% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Tay Ninh gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Tay Ninh are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Tay Ninh gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.