Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $909 in Pingtung city, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. The total is higher in Pingtung city despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Pingtung city
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Pingtung city 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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Pingtung city

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$909

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $909 in Pingtung city versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pingtung city $909
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,474 in Pingtung city versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pingtung city $1,474
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,038 in Pingtung city versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pingtung city $2,038
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Pingtung city is roughly 6% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pingtung city 33% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 NT$179

$1.91 ₫49.6K

189.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.64 NT$1,026

$22.84 ₫591.2K

38.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.71 NT$153

$4.54 ₫117.6K

3.74%

Cappuccino

$2.87 NT$93.1

$1.85 ₫48.0K

55.14%

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

$0.98 NT$31.82

$0.56 ₫14.6K

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 NT$21.92

$0.32 ₫8,185

112.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.54 NT$49.83

$1.06 ₫27.5K

45.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 NT$81.6

$1.72 ₫44.5K

46.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.66 ₫42.9K

93.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 NT$62.0

$1.11 ₫28.7K

72.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 NT$84.2

$1.00 ₫25.9K

160.00%

Eggs

$2.65 NT$86.0

$1.67 ₫43.1K

58.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.60 NT$506

$12.08 ₫312.8K

29.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.06 NT$261

$3.68 ₫95.2K

119.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 NT$489

$10.24 ₫265.1K

47.36%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 NT$140

$2.96 ₫76.5K

46.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 NT$60.7

$1.24 ₫32.2K

50.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 NT$80.8

$1.56 ₫40.3K

59.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.19 NT$104

$1.30 ₫33.6K

145.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 NT$38.37

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 NT$62.7

$1.15 ₫29.8K

67.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 NT$75.6

$0.74 ₫19.1K

214.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 NT$27.60

$0.56 ₫14.4K

51.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 NT$123

$1.24 ₫32.1K

207.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.42 NT$500

$12.60 ₫326.1K

22.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 NT$50.2

$0.96 ₫24.9K

61.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 NT$72.5

$1.53 ₫39.6K

46.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.49 NT$15.89

$0.26 ₫6,694

88.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 NT$87.5

$0.75 ₫19.5K

260.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.04

$0.67 ₫17.4K

10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 NT$207

$3.03 ₫78.5K

111.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.32

$0.96 ₫24.8K

7.29%

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

$34.1K NT$1.1M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

9.66%

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

$23.0K NT$746.1K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-24.21%

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

$111 NT$3,590

$102 ₫2.6M

8.55%

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

$15.11 NT$490

$5.89 ₫152.5K

156.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.70 NT$833

$10.49 ₫271.6K

145.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$9.58 NT$311

$3.53 ₫91.3K

171.39%

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

$344 NT$11.2K

$436 ₫11.3M

-21.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K NT$453.1K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-39.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 NT$2,297

$52.8 ₫1.4M

34.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 NT$1,013

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-8.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 NT$2,670

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-8.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,359

$95.0 ₫2.5M

9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 NT$8,018

$589 ₫15.3M

-58.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 NT$5,023

$298 ₫7.7M

-47.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$746 NT$24.2K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 NT$12.2K

$711 ₫18.4M

-47.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,912 NT$62.0K

$490 ₫12.7M

290.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.27

8.64

-73.73%

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

Last update for Pingtung city: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pingtung city

$334 36.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 37.9% $126

Accommodation & Living

Pingtung city

$155 17%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 92.3% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pingtung city

$152 16.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 21.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Pingtung city

$130 14.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 5.5% $7.1

Eating Out

Pingtung city

$112 12.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 43.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Pingtung city

$19 * 2.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 70.1% $13

Getting Around

Pingtung city

$8.4 * 0.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 99.2% $8.3

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 $247 in Pingtung city and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pingtung city pays 291% 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: $32.00 in Pingtung city vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $334 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Pingtung city

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

07:57 7:57 AM

06:57 6:57 AM

1 h behind Pingtung city

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

201,644

9,456,700

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pingtung city Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Pingtung 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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Pingtung 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 291% higher in Pingtung 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: $247 in Pingtung city versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Pingtung city. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $909 per month in Pingtung city versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $909 in Pingtung city, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Pingtung city. 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 $859 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, Pingtung city 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 6% less than in Pingtung city. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.