Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Astana is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Astana 2 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Astana | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โธ 3,000$5.77 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ60% |
| Street food1 item | โธ 1,500$2.88 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โธ 7,500$14.4 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ26% |
| Coffeeone cup | โธ 1,500$2.88 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ34% |
| Beerone bottle | โธ 1,200$2.31 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โธ 3,000$5.77 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ21% |
| Bottled water | โธ 250$0.48 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โธ 400$0.77 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ26% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โธ 1,000$1.92 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Astana โ28% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โธ 600$1.15 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ34% |
| Transitone ride | โธ 110$0.21 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Astana โ21% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โธ 5,000$9.62 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ41% |
| Hotel night3-star | โธ 30,000$57.7 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ34% |
| Studio rent (month) | โธ 200,000$385 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | similar |
| Laundry | โธ 3,000$5.77 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| SIM card1 week data | โธ 3,500$6.73 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Astana โ11% |
| Haircutcut | โธ 3,000$5.77 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ34% |
| Massage1 hour | โธ 12,000$23.1 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ51% |
| Half-day tourper person | โธ 15,000$28.8 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ14% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โธ 700$1.35 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Astana โ29% |
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 25% cheaper than Astana. Daily budget $102 vs $68; a month $1,580 vs $1,302.
Astana is easier: Astana 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, Astana is about $1,580 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.