Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $2,107 in Macao, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Macao
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Macao Living Index
42

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

Jump to prices

Macao

🇲🇴 Macao (China)

$2,107

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Macao 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 Macao and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,107 in Macao versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Macao $2,107
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,021 in Macao versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Macao $3,021
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,935 in Macao versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Macao $3,935
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Macao is roughly 146% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Macao is 57% above, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.31 MOP 51.0

$1.90 ₫49.2K

232.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.9 MOP 444

$23.32 ₫603.7K

135.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.91 MOP 47.73

$4.67 ₫121.0K

26.55%

Cappuccino

$4.89 MOP 39.49

$1.85 ₫48.0K

164.32%

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

$1.06 MOP 8.56

$0.56 ₫14.4K

89.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 MOP 7.55

$0.34 ₫8,860

173.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.63 MOP 45.49

$1.01 ₫26.2K

457.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.23 MOP 58.4

$1.69 ₫43.7K

327.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.09 MOP 24.98

$1.58 ₫40.8K

95.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 MOP 13.50

$1.04 ₫27.0K

60.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 MOP 13.97

$0.99 ₫25.7K

74.75%

Eggs

$3.40 MOP 27.46

$1.60 ₫41.5K

112.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.05 MOP 130

$12.23 ₫316.7K

31.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$19.07 MOP 154

$3.54 ₫91.7K

438.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$29.25 MOP 236

$10.44 ₫270.3K

180.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 MOP 21.87

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-12.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 MOP 23.14

$1.26 ₫32.5K

126.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 MOP 15.90

$1.57 ₫40.6K

25.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.36 MOP 19.06

$1.26 ₫32.5K

87.30%

Potato (1kg)

$3.85 MOP 31.10

$1.17 ₫30.4K

229.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 MOP 23.86

$1.15 ₫29.7K

156.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 MOP 5.30

$0.72 ₫18.7K

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 MOP 9.74

$0.54 ₫14.0K

122.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 MOP 53.7

$1.22 ₫31.5K

444.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 MOP 98.1

$12.28 ₫317.9K

-1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 MOP 14.34

$0.98 ₫25.4K

80.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 MOP 18.66

$1.49 ₫38.6K

55.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MOP 6.13

$0.28 ₫7,252

171.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.62 MOP 183

$11.62 ₫301.0K

94.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 MOP 20.78

$0.73 ₫18.9K

252.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 MOP 9.99

$0.64 ₫16.7K

93.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.00 MOP 121

$3.17 ₫82.0K

373.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.76 MOP 14.22

$0.95 ₫24.6K

85.26%

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

$31.1K MOP 251.3K

$30.7K ₫795.9M

1.13%

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

$31.8K MOP 256.7K

$30.6K ₫791.9M

3.83%

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

$124 MOP 1,002

$102 ₫2.6M

21.22%

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

$23.44 MOP 189

$5.65 ₫146.2K

314.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.46 MOP 295

$10.52 ₫272.3K

246.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.3 MOP 511

$25.86 ₫669.5K

144.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 MOP 30.57

$11.82 ₫306.1K

-68.02%

Cinema Ticket

$14.73 MOP 119

$3.39 ₫87.8K

334.51%

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

$1,193 MOP 9,642

$438 ₫11.3M

172.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K MOP 156.2K

$23.3K ₫603.3M

-17.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MOP 566

$51.5 ₫1.3M

35.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.25 MOP 269

$34.56 ₫894.6K

-3.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 MOP 747

$91.3 ₫2.4M

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 MOP 1,084

$94.9 ₫2.5M

41.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 MOP 9,136

$577 ₫14.9M

95.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,070 MOP 8,651

$292 ₫7.6M

266.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,092 MOP 16.9K

$1,293 ₫33.5M

61.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,461 MOP 11.8K

$717 ₫18.6M

103.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,347 MOP 67.5K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

77.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,538 MOP 44.8K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

194.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,053 MOP 16.6K

$486 ₫12.6M

322.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-65.28%

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

Last update for Macao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Macao

$1.1K 50.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 72.7% $778

Groceries & Markets

Macao

$422 19.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 51.3% $217

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Macao

$184 8.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 35.6% $65

Eating Out

Macao

$177 8.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 64.2% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Macao

$148 7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 17.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Macao

$93 4.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 64.8% $60

Getting Around

Macao

$34 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 51.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,130 in Macao and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Macao pays 323% 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: $55.0 in Macao vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $422 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇴 Macao

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

17:44 5:44 PM

1 h behind Macao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

622,567 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Macanese Pataca MOP P

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 MOP = 0.124 USD

1 MOP = 0.11 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MOP – Macanese Pataca Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇴 Macanese Pataca (P)

Macanese Pataca exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 8.08 MOP (1 MOP = 0.124 USD). 1 EUR = 9.06 MOP (1 MOP = 0.11 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,011 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to MOP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Macao Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,460 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Macao
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 146% lower than in Macao. 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.

Average pay runs 323% higher in Macao, 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: $1,130 in Macao versus $577 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 $2,107 per month in Macao versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 146% 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 95% less than in Macao. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,107 in Macao, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Macao. 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, Macao 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 146% less than in Macao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.