Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,098 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
Learn more

Ulan Ude Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Ulan Ude $1,098

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,685 in Ulan Ude.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Ulan Ude $1,685

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,272 in Ulan Ude.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Ulan Ude $2,272

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 22% less than in Ulan Ude, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Ulan Ude 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$6.81 ₽579

-72.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$46.65 ₽3,969

-50.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$6.95 ₽591

-32.81%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$3.47 ₽296

-46.69%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.80 ₽154

-68.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$1.73 ₽147

-80.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$3.65 ₽310

-72.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$5.74 ₽488

-70.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.26 ₽107

25.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$0.84 ₽71.7

23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$0.45 ₽38.68

120.00%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.88 ₽160

-14.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$11.60 ₽987

5.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$5.90 ₽502

-40.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$10.40 ₽885

0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$1.21 ₽103

155.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.79 ₽152

-29.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.17 ₽99.3

34.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.32 ₽198

-45.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.58 ₽48.94

101.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$0.84 ₽71.5

36.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$3.47 ₽295

-79.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.73 ₽62.0

-26.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.85 ₽243

-57.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$8.17 ₽695

50.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$0.58 ₽49.24

68.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.19 ₽101

25.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.46 ₽38.80

-39.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$23.18 ₽1,972

-49.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.21 ₽103

-39.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.17 ₽14.61

276.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$7.10 ₽605

-55.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.78 ₽66.1

21.79%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$47.6K ₽4.0M

-35.41%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$35.1K ₽3.0M

-12.80%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$118 ₽10.1K

-13.56%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$3.50 ₽298

61.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$8.20 ₽698

28.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$23.55 ₽2,004

9.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$48.08 ₽4,091

-75.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$6.87 ₽585

-50.66%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$70.4 ₽5,992

-26.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$29.41 ₽2,503

17.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$117 ₽9,919

-21.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$119 ₽10.1K

-20.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$501 ₽42.6K

15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$371 ₽31.5K

-21.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$773 ₽65.7K

67.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$580 ₽49.3K

23.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$1,977 ₽168.2K

138.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,538 ₽130.9K

22.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$884 ₽75.2K

-45.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

21.67

-60.13%

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 Ulan Ude: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2% 26.9% $79

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1% 0.5% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9% 23.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Ulan Ude

$130 12% 9.8% $12

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8% 153% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4% 14.3% $4.7

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5% 62.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $501 in Ulan Ude. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulan Ude pays 82% 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 $47.00 in Ulan Ude for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🕒 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

436,138

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Ulan Ude 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ulan Ude

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 Ulan Ude: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Ulan Ude. 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 82% lower in Ulan Ude. 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 $501 in Ulan Ude. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% higher in Ulan Ude. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Ulan Ude. 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 Ulan Ude 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 28% less than in Ulan Ude. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.