Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 33% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$11.63 ₾30.07

-83.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$37.83 ₾97.9

-39.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$9.66 ₾24.98

-51.45%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$3.57 ₾9.24

-49.58%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$1.08 ₾2.78

-49.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.56 ₾1.45

-39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.62 ₾6.78

-60.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$3.04 ₾7.86

-43.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.17 ₾5.60

-23.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$0.80 ₾2.06

36.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$1.74 ₾4.51

-39.08%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$2.83 ₾7.31

-43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$9.31 ₾24.08

29.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$6.52 ₾16.86

-43.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$12.95 ₾33.50

-20.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$1.68 ₾4.34

79.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.85 ₾4.80

-31.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$1.97 ₾5.10

-17.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$2.42 ₾6.25

-47.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$0.82 ₾2.11

43.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$0.74 ₾1.91

60.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$1.34 ₾3.47

-41.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.77 ₾2.00

-28.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$3.57 ₾9.24

-64.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$7.67 ₾19.84

67.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.70 ₾4.39

-47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$2.40 ₾6.21

-39.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.40 ₾1.05

-30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$15.23 ₾39.39

-25.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$1.14 ₾2.95

-38.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.78 ₾2.02

-19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$11.83 ₾30.59

-73.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.45 ₾3.75

-34.48%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

24.16%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

33.08%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$88.8 ₾230

15.11%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$13.12 ₾33.94

-56.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$19.67 ₾50.9

-46.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$64.1 ₾166

-69.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$19.04 ₾49.25

-37.97%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$7.12 ₾18.42

-46.21%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$375 ₾971

28.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

122.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$104 ₾268

-49.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$39.26 ₾102

-12.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$117 ₾304

-21.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$122 ₾315

-22.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$695 ₾1,798

-6.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$451 ₾1,167

-34.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$1,355 ₾3,505

-4.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$906 ₾2,344

-20.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$2,295 ₾5,936

88.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,345 ₾3,479

47.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$664 ₾1,718

-26.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

12.62

-31.54%

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 Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6% 51.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 12.5% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 39.9% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 2.8% $3.3

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 202% $127

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 190% $51

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 33.5% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 35% 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 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $234 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

15:07 3:07 PM

3 h behind Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Tbilisi 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Tbilisi. 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 26% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $695 in Tbilisi. 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 $1,269 in Tbilisi – a 49% 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 25% less than in Tbilisi. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Tbilisi 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 33% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.