Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Miaoli: $794 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Miaoli
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Miaoli Living Index
42

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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Miaoli

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$794

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $794 in Miaoli versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Miaoli $794
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,109 in Miaoli versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Miaoli $1,109
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,425 in Miaoli versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Miaoli $1,425
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Miaoli costs roughly 7% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Miaoli 41% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.46 NT$78.6

$1.90 ₫49.1K

29.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.69 NT$756

$23.32 ₫603.5K

1.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 NT$150

$4.67 ₫120.9K

0.43%

Cappuccino

$3.01 NT$96.1

$1.85 ₫47.9K

62.70%

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

$0.86 NT$27.33

$0.56 ₫14.4K

53.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 NT$16.97

$0.34 ₫8,857

55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 NT$39.22

$1.01 ₫26.2K

21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 NT$43.36

$1.69 ₫43.7K

-19.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.69 NT$86.0

$1.58 ₫40.8K

70.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 NT$39.79

$1.04 ₫27.0K

20.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.72 NT$86.7

$0.99 ₫25.7K

174.75%

Eggs

$2.21 NT$70.5

$1.60 ₫41.5K

38.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.25 NT$295

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-24.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.54 NT$241

$3.54 ₫91.7K

112.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.84 NT$697

$10.44 ₫270.2K

109.20%

Apples (1kg)

$3.74 NT$119

$3.09 ₫79.9K

21.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 NT$63.2

$1.26 ₫32.5K

57.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NT$97.3

$1.57 ₫40.6K

94.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 NT$98.5

$1.26 ₫32.5K

145.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 NT$78.9

$1.17 ₫30.4K

111.11%

Onion (1kg)

$2.04 NT$65.2

$1.15 ₫29.7K

77.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.30 NT$73.5

$0.72 ₫18.7K

219.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 NT$27.78

$0.54 ₫14.0K

61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 NT$129

$1.22 ₫31.5K

232.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.99 NT$351

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-10.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 NT$47.39

$0.98 ₫25.4K

52.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 NT$66.5

$1.49 ₫38.5K

39.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 NT$92.6

$0.73 ₫18.9K

297.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.75 NT$23.97

$0.64 ₫16.7K

17.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.05 NT$225

$3.17 ₫82.0K

122.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$32.92

$0.95 ₫24.6K

8.42%

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

$33.3K NT$1.1M

$30.7K ₫795.6M

8.25%

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

$23.8K NT$758.4K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-22.30%

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

$69.0 NT$2,201

$102 ₫2.6M

-32.58%

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

$18.41 NT$587

$5.65 ₫146.1K

225.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.34 NT$713

$10.52 ₫272.2K

112.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$10.97 NT$350

$3.39 ₫87.8K

223.60%

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

$517 NT$16.5K

$438 ₫11.3M

18.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.7K NT$1.0M

$23.3K ₫603.1M

36.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.55 NT$400

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-75.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.14 NT$802

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-27.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.8 NT$2,036

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-30.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 NT$3,172

$94.9 ₫2.5M

4.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$217 NT$6,917

$577 ₫14.9M

-62.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 NT$5,030

$292 ₫7.6M

-46.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,500 NT$79.8K

$486 ₫12.6M

414.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.38

8.64

-72.45%

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

Last update for Miaoli: October 6, 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.

Groceries & Markets

Miaoli

$313 39.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 34.3% $108

Accommodation & Living

Miaoli

$158 20.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 85.3% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miaoli

$110 14%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 8% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Miaoli

$90 11.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 35.6% $32

Eating Out

Miaoli

$84 10.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 24.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Miaoli

$22 * 2.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 48.8% $11

Getting Around

Miaoli

$6.7 * 0.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 151% $10

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $217 in Miaoli and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Miaoli pays 415% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Miaoli vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $313 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Miaoli

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

01:18 1:18 AM

1 h behind Miaoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

89,892

9,456,700

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.13 USD

100 TWD = 2.8 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 31.91 TWD (100 TWD = 3.13 USD). 1 EUR = 35.76 TWD (100 TWD = 2.8 EUR).

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).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Miaoli Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Miaoli
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

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

Miaoli wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Miaoli the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 415% higher in Miaoli, 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: $217 in Miaoli versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 52% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $794 per month in Miaoli versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $794 in Miaoli versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Miaoli but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Miaoli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Miaoli delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $794 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Miaoli hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Miaoli 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 Miaoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.