Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $850 a month against $1,278 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi 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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Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,278

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$850

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Tbilisi versus $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tbilisi $1,278
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,017 in Tbilisi versus $1,386 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tbilisi $2,017
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,755 in Tbilisi versus $1,921 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tbilisi $2,755
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921

Living in Tbilisi is roughly 50% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tbilisi 5% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 ₾30.05

$2.13 ₫54.6K

445.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.41 ₾99.3

$23.43 ₫601.8K

63.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 ₾25.18

$4.55 ₫116.8K

114.07%

Cappuccino

$3.56 ₾9.21

$1.78 ₫45.7K

100.00%

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

$1.08 ₾2.79

$0.53 ₫13.6K

103.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₾1.46

$0.32 ₫8,187

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.73 ₾7.05

$1.08 ₫27.7K

152.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₾8.08

$1.69 ₫43.5K

85.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ₾5.54

$1.66 ₫42.7K

28.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.19 ₫30.5K

-36.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.80 ₾4.66

$1.03 ₫26.4K

74.76%

Eggs

$2.80 ₾7.25

$1.67 ₫42.9K

67.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 ₾24.39

$12.24 ₫314.3K

-22.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 ₾18.09

$3.54 ₫90.8K

97.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 ₾32.82

$10.25 ₫263.3K

23.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 ₾4.21

$3.11 ₫79.9K

-47.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₾4.77

$1.22 ₫31.4K

50.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ₾5.08

$1.43 ₫36.8K

37.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 ₾6.38

$1.22 ₫31.4K

102.46%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ₾1.95

$1.20 ₫30.8K

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 ₾1.74

$1.20 ₫30.9K

-44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 ₾3.66

$0.73 ₫18.7K

93.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₾1.86

$0.52 ₫13.4K

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.51 ₾9.08

$1.23 ₫31.5K

185.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 ₾20.39

$11.55 ₫296.7K

-31.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ₾4.41

$0.93 ₫23.9K

82.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₾6.12

$1.48 ₫37.9K

60.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ₾0.97

$0.28 ₫7,210

35.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.29 ₾39.54

$11.62 ₫298.3K

31.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 ₾3.07

$0.76 ₫19.5K

56.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 ₾1.91

$0.62 ₫15.8K

19.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 ₾30.74

$3.12 ₫80.1K

281.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ₾3.77

$0.90 ₫23.2K

62.22%

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

$25.0K ₾64.6K

$30.9K ₫793.6M

-19.15%

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

$22.8K ₾59.0K

$29.6K ₫759.9M

-22.85%

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

$88.1 ₾228

$99.8 ₫2.6M

-11.70%

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

$12.71 ₾32.85

$5.75 ₫147.6K

121.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.79 ₾51.2

$10.29 ₫264.1K

92.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.3 ₾166

$18.18 ₫466.8K

253.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.17 ₾49.56

$12.16 ₫312.2K

57.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 ₾17.19

$3.90 ₫100.1K

70.51%

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

$371 ₾960

$530 ₫13.6M

-29.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,163 ₾23.7K

$26.6K ₫684.0M

-65.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 ₾264

$52.8 ₫1.4M

93.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.65 ₾103

$34.88 ₫895.7K

13.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 ₾305

$95.1 ₫2.4M

24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ₾310

$95.5 ₫2.5M

25.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$690 ₾1,783

$617 ₫15.8M

11.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₾1,192

$297 ₫7.6M

55.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 ₾3,521

$1,311 ₫33.7M

3.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ₾2,319

$708 ₫18.2M

26.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,277 ₾5,888

$4,430 ₫113.8M

-48.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,378 ₾3,562

$2,011 ₫51.7M

-31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 ₾1,835

$505 ₫13.0M

40.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.53

8.64

45.02%

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

Last update for Tbilisi: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tbilisi

$461 36.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 35% 35.5% $164

Groceries & Markets

Tbilisi

$235 18.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$205 24.1% 12.8% $30

Eating Out

Tbilisi

$191 15%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.6% 66.5% $127

Clothing & Footwear

Tbilisi

$171 13.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$125 14.7% 26.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tbilisi

$121 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$116 13.6% 4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Tbilisi

$78 6.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$26 3.1% 66.5% $52

Getting Around

Tbilisi

$22 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 23.6% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $690 in Tbilisi and $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays 41% 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: $38 in Tbilisi vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $205 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

00:24 12:24 AM

03:24 3:24 AM

3 h ahead of Tbilisi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,241,700 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.346 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.89 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to GEL – Georgian Lari Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇪 Georgian Lari (₾)

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 25,680 VND (100,000 VND = 3.89 USD). 1 EUR = 28,699 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to GEL in detail →

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Tbilisi Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tbilisi
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Tbilisi. 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 41% higher in Tbilisi, 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: $690 in Tbilisi versus $617 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 $1,278 per month in Tbilisi versus $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 24% less than in Tbilisi. 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.

Safety-wise, Tbilisi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Tbilisi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.