Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Belgrade is easier to travel (2.0 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Belgrade 2 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Belgrade | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | RSD 1,200$12 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Street food1 item | RSD 450$4.5 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | RSD 3,000$30 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Coffeeone cup | RSD 300$3 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ37% |
| Beerone bottle | RSD 400$4 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | RSD 900$9 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Bottled water | RSD 100$1 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ66% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | RSD 180$1.8 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ68% |
| Taxi5 km in town | RSD 850$8.5 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | RSD 600$6 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Scooter rentalper day | RSD 2,000$20 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ71% |
| Hotel night3-star | RSD 8,000$80 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Studio rent (month) | RSD 80,000$800 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Laundry | RSD 400$4 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ71% |
| SIM card1 week data | RSD 800$8 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | similar |
| Haircutcut | RSD 1,100$11 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Massage1 hour | RSD 4,000$40 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ71% |
| Half-day tourper person | RSD 3,500$35 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | RSD 1,000$10 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
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 61% cheaper than Belgrade. Daily budget $178 vs $68; a month $3,244 vs $1,302.
Belgrade is easier: Belgrade 2.0/5 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, Belgrade is about $3,244 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.