Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $9,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
Learn more

Mexico City Living Index
41

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mexico City $1,608
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mexico City $2,549
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mexico City $3,490
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Mexico City is roughly 89% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$1.91 ₫49.3K

456.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$908

$22.93 ₫591.8K

110.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$194

$4.69 ₫121.0K

120.68%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.3

$1.80 ₫46.4K

105.00%

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

$1.67 MX$31.29

$0.55 ₫14.2K

203.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.76

$0.34 ₫8,802

273.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.9

$1.03 ₫26.7K

209.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.6

$1.72 ₫44.4K

208.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.38

$1.67 ₫43.0K

2.99%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$57.1

$1.09 ₫28.2K

178.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.44

$1.06 ₫27.2K

83.02%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.2

$1.60 ₫41.2K

80.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$206

$12.08 ₫311.8K

-9.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$174

$3.66 ₫94.4K

152.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$284

$10.35 ₫267.0K

46.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.2

$3.01 ₫77.7K

1.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.45

$1.26 ₫32.5K

53.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$38.02

$1.62 ₫41.9K

25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.46

$1.27 ₫32.7K

81.89%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.21

$1.18 ₫30.5K

72.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.79

$1.19 ₫30.7K

51.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.77

$0.78 ₫20.1K

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.80

$0.55 ₫14.2K

130.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.6

$1.26 ₫32.5K

320.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$302

$12.85 ₫331.5K

25.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.23

$0.90 ₫23.1K

120.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.8

$1.46 ₫37.6K

191.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.73

$0.28 ₫7,252

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$371

$11.42 ₫294.7K

72.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.50

$0.70 ₫18.1K

162.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$10.02

$0.63 ₫16.2K

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.4

$3.09 ₫79.7K

71.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.36

$0.95 ₫24.5K

58.95%

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

$21.8K MX$408.4K

$30.5K ₫787.4M

-28.71%

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

$24.0K MX$450.3K

$29.7K ₫767.0M

-19.31%

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

$63.0 MX$1,182

$102 ₫2.6M

-38.39%

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

$27.39 MX$514

$5.65 ₫145.7K

384.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$670

$10.43 ₫269.2K

241.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,107

$19.30 ₫498.1K

205.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$444

$11.81 ₫304.8K

100.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$3.83 ₫98.8K

67.10%

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

$432 MX$8,103

$484 ₫12.5M

-10.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$214.5K

$23.3K ₫601.6M

-51.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,281

$52.3 ₫1.3M

30.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$997

$34.35 ₫886.3K

54.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,023

$92.3 ₫2.4M

16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,202

$94.2 ₫2.4M

24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.9K

$647 ₫16.7M

72.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$297 ₫7.7M

139.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.6K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

100.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.4K

$719 ₫18.6M

95.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$68.2K

$4,327 ₫111.6M

-16.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$40.1K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

7.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.8K

$490 ₫12.6M

92.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

8.64

31.37%

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

Last update for Mexico City: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 58.2% $413

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 34.9% $112

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 68.2% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 21.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 6.1% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 62.4% $45

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 35.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 93% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $208 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:29 8:29 AM

21:29 9:29 PM

13 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 15,620 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 47% lower than in Mexico City. 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 93% higher in Mexico City, 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: $1,113 in Mexico City 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 $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 47% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 42% less than in Mexico City. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch 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.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.