Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Accra is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: language โ Accra 1 vs Ho Chi Minh City 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Accra | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | GHโต 70$5.98 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Street food1 item | GHโต 35$2.99 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | GHโต 180$15.4 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ31% |
| Coffeeone cup | GHโต 50$4.27 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Beerone bottle | GHโต 25$2.13 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | GHโต 90$7.69 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ41% |
| Bottled water | GHโต 5$0.43 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ20% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | GHโต 10$0.85 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Taxi5 km in town | GHโต 50$4.27 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | GHโต 25$2.13 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ64% |
| Transitone ride | GHโต 8$0.68 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Scooter rentalper day | GHโต 250$21.3 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ73% |
| Hotel night3-star | GHโต 850$72.6 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ48% |
| Studio rent (month) | GHโต 4,000$342 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Accra โ10% |
| Laundry | GHโต 20$1.71 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| SIM card1 week data | GHโต 150$12.8 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ41% |
| Haircutcut | GHโต 40$3.42 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Accra โ10% |
| Massage1 hour | GHโต 300$25.6 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Half-day tourper person | GHโต 350$29.9 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ17% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | GHโต 100$8.54 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ78% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Ho Chi Minh City is 34% cheaper than Accra. Daily budget $126 vs $68; a month $1,647 vs $1,302.
Accra is easier: Accra 2.4/5 vs Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Accra is about $1,647 and Ho Chi Minh City about $1,302 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.