Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Bologna is easier to travel (2.0 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Bologna 1 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Bologna | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 16$18.6 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ88% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 5$5.81 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ77% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 35$40.7 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ74% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 1.7$1.98 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | similar |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 5.5$6.4 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 8$9.3 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ51% |
| Bottled water | โฌ 0.7$0.81 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 1.5$1.74 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 12$14 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 8$9.3 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ92% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 2.3$2.67 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 15$17.4 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 110$128 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 850$988 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Laundry | โฌ 8$9.3 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ88% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 20$23.3 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 16$18.6 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 55$64 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 40$46.5 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ47% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 12$14 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ86% |
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 74% cheaper than Bologna. Daily budget $271 vs $68; a month $4,782 vs $1,302.
Bologna is easier: Bologna 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, Bologna is about $4,782 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.