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Compare cities โบ Addis Ababa vs Ho Chi Minh City
Addis Ababa vs Ho Chi Minh City cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ช๐น Addis Ababa
๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh CityAddis Ababa and Ho Chi Minh City cost about the same
Living on $1,042 a month in Addis Ababa feels like about $1,302 in Ho Chi Minh City โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Addis Ababa 12tie 0Ho Chi Minh City 8
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$99.3 vs $68
Per month
$1,042 vs $1,302
Local meal
Br 500 vs โซ 60,000
$3.07 vs $2.28
Taxi 5 km
Br 300 vs โซ 70,000
$1.84 vs $2.66
At a glance
FoodAddis Ababa 21% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksAddis Ababa 43% cheaper
TransportAddis Ababa 29% cheaper
Staysimilar
FunHo Chi Minh City 39% cheaper
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (90%โ), Hotel night (44%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (38%โ)
- Where Addis Ababa is clearly cheaper: Street food (54%โ), Transit (54%โ), Coffee (52%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Addis Ababa to see what gives the same standard of living in Ho Chi Minh City. Starts at the average Addis Ababa salary.
Travel difficulty
Addis Ababa
Ho Chi Minh City
Overall
Very hard3.6
Hard3.0
Rip-offs & haggling
4
4
Language
3
3
Getting around
3
2
Payments
4
3
Safety
4
3
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.6). Biggest gap: getting around โ Addis Ababa 3 vs Ho Chi Minh City 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Addis Ababa | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | Br 500$3.07 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ26% |
| Street food1 item | Br 100$0.61 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Addis Ababa โ54% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | Br 2,000$12.3 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Coffeeone cup | Br 150$0.92 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Addis Ababa โ52% |
| Beerone bottle | Br 120$0.74 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Addis Ababa โ45% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | Br 550$3.38 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Addis Ababa โ26% |
| Bottled water | Br 30$0.18 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Addis Ababa โ46% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | Br 50$0.31 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Addis Ababa โ46% |
| Taxi5 km in town | Br 300$1.84 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Addis Ababa โ31% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | Br 200$1.23 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Transitone ride | Br 20$0.12 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Addis Ababa โ54% |
| Scooter rentalper day | Br 1,500$9.21 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Hotel night3-star | Br 11,000$67.6 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ44% |
| Studio rent (month) | Br 45,000$276 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Addis Ababa โ27% |
| Laundry | Br 150$0.92 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Addis Ababa โ19% |
| SIM card1 week data | Br 600$3.69 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Addis Ababa โ52% |
| Haircutcut | Br 300$1.84 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Addis Ababa โ52% |
| Massage1 hour | Br 2,000$12.3 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ7% |
| Half-day tourper person | Br 5,000$30.7 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ20% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | Br 3,000$18.4 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
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%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Addis Ababa or Ho Chi Minh City?
Addis Ababa and Ho Chi Minh City cost about the same. Daily budget $99.3 vs $68; a month $1,042 vs $1,302.
Which is easier to travel, Addis Ababa or Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Addis Ababa 3.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Addis Ababa and Ho Chi Minh City?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Addis Ababa is about $1,042 and Ho Chi Minh City about $1,302 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
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.
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