Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,098 in Ulan Ude, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

53

Cost of Living Index in Ulan Ude
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Ulan Ude 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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Ulan Ude

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,098

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,098 in Ulan Ude versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ulan Ude $1,098
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,685 in Ulan Ude versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ulan Ude $1,685
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,272 in Ulan Ude versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ulan Ude $2,272
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Ulan Ude is roughly 28% 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: Ulan Ude 18% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 ₽579

$1.90 ₫49.1K

258.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.65 ₽3,969

$23.32 ₫603.5K

100.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.95 ₽591

$4.67 ₫120.9K

48.82%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ₽296

$1.85 ₫47.9K

87.57%

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

$1.80 ₽154

$0.56 ₫14.4K

221.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₽147

$0.34 ₫8,857

408.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 ₽310

$1.01 ₫26.2K

261.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 ₽488

$1.69 ₫43.7K

239.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₽107

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-20.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 ₽71.7

$1.04 ₫27.0K

-19.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.45 ₽38.68

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-54.55%

Eggs

$1.88 ₽160

$1.60 ₫41.5K

17.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.60 ₽987

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-5.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.90 ₽502

$3.54 ₫91.7K

66.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.40 ₽885

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.21 ₽103

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-60.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽152

$1.26 ₫32.5K

42.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 ₽99.3

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-25.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 ₽198

$1.26 ₫32.5K

84.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₽48.94

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-50.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 ₽71.5

$1.15 ₫29.7K

-26.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.47 ₽295

$0.72 ₫18.7K

381.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₽62.0

$0.54 ₫14.0K

35.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 ₽243

$1.22 ₫31.5K

133.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 ₽695

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-33.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽49.24

$0.98 ₫25.4K

-40.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽101

$1.49 ₫38.5K

-20.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.46 ₽38.80

$0.28 ₫7,249

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 ₽1,972

$11.62 ₫300.8K

99.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ₽103

$0.73 ₫18.9K

65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ₽14.61

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-73.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 ₽605

$3.17 ₫82.0K

123.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 ₽66.1

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-17.89%

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

$47.6K ₽4.0M

$30.7K ₫795.6M

54.82%

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

$35.1K ₽3.0M

$30.6K ₫791.6M

14.68%

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

$118 ₽10.1K

$102 ₫2.6M

15.69%

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

$3.50 ₽298

$5.65 ₫146.1K

-38.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.20 ₽698

$10.52 ₫272.2K

-22.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.55 ₽2,004

$25.86 ₫669.2K

-8.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.08 ₽4,091

$11.82 ₫305.9K

306.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 ₽585

$3.39 ₫87.8K

102.65%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.4 ₽5,992

$51.5 ₫1.3M

36.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 ₽2,503

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-14.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₽9,919

$91.3 ₫2.4M

27.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 ₽10.1K

$94.9 ₫2.5M

25.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 ₽42.6K

$577 ₫14.9M

-13.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$371 ₽31.5K

$292 ₫7.6M

26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$773 ₽65.7K

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-40.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 ₽49.3K

$717 ₫18.6M

-19.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,977 ₽168.2K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-58.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,538 ₽130.9K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-18.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$884 ₽75.2K

$486 ₫12.6M

81.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.67

8.64

150.81%

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

Last update for Ulan Ude: 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

Ulan Ude

$371 34.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 21.2% $79

Groceries & Markets

Ulan Ude

$207 19.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 0.5% $1.1

Eating Out

Ulan Ude

$161 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 60.5% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Ulan Ude

$151 13.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 18.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulan Ude

$130 12%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 8.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ulan Ude

$37 3.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 12.5% $4.7

Getting Around

Ulan Ude

$27 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 38.3% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $501 in Ulan Ude and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ulan Ude pays 82% 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: $47.00 in Ulan Ude vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Ulan Ude

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

21:52 9:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h behind Ulan Ude

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

436,138

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.18 USD

100 RUB = 1.05 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 85.09 RUB (100 RUB = 1.18 USD). 1 EUR = 95.35 RUB (100 RUB = 1.05 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

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Ulan Ude Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 4,570 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulan Ude
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 28% lower than in Ulan Ude. 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 82% higher in Ulan Ude, 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: $501 in Ulan Ude versus $577 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 1% higher in Ulan Ude. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,098 per month in Ulan Ude versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,098 in Ulan Ude, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Ulan Ude. 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, Ulan Ude 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 28% less than in Ulan Ude. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.