Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
41

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

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kandy and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $513 in Kandy versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kandy $513
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $728 in Kandy versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kandy $728
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $943 in Kandy versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kandy $943
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Kandy costs roughly 40% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kandy 62% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$1.91 ₫49.3K

39.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,322

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-43.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,995

$4.69 ₫121.2K

27.93%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$1.80 ₫46.5K

5.56%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-5.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.0

$0.34 ₫8,812

-23.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 619

$1.03 ₫26.7K

80.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$1.72 ₫44.4K

62.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-31.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.09 ₫28.2K

-52.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 254

$1.06 ₫27.3K

-27.36%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$1.60 ₫41.3K

6.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,707

$12.08 ₫312.1K

-57.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$3.66 ₫94.5K

16.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,284

$10.35 ₫267.3K

-33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$3.01 ₫77.7K

4.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$1.62 ₫41.9K

6.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$1.27 ₫32.7K

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 338

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-13.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.19 ₫30.7K

-30.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.78 ₫20.1K

-44.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-23.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,667

$1.26 ₫32.5K

536.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,750

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-12.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$0.90 ₫23.1K

114.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$1.46 ₫37.6K

42.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.28 ₫7,260

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,456

$11.42 ₫295.0K

-61.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$0.70 ₫18.2K

-41.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-44.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$3.09 ₫79.8K

-84.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$0.95 ₫24.6K

21.05%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-54.20%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$29.7K ₫767.8M

23.62%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$102 ₫2.6M

-42.27%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$5.65 ₫145.8K

-31.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,226

$10.43 ₫269.5K

21.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,605

$19.30 ₫498.7K

-43.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,261

$11.81 ₫305.1K

-42.42%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$3.83 ₫98.9K

-28.46%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,197

$484 ₫12.5M

-95.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 100.9K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-98.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,076

$52.3 ₫1.4M

-65.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,374

$34.35 ₫887.3K

-70.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,829

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-71.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.1K

$647 ₫16.7M

-73.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$297 ₫7.7M

-62.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-86.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$719 ₫18.6M

-86.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-90.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-79.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$490 ₫12.7M

-46.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

38.89%

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

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

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

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 25.4% $42

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 163% $184

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 21.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 56.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 123% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 65.2% $11

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 129% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $172 in Kandy and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 87% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $13 in Kandy vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $166 vs $208 per month, with Kandy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

00:20 12:20 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kandy Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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

Kandy vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandy wins on cost – living expenses run 40% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kandy the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 47% lower in Kandy. 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: $172 in Kandy versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $513 per month in Kandy versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kandy runs roughly 62% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

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

For families, Kandy is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Kandy and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Kandy gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.