Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.4). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Cairo 5 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Cairo | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | Eยฃ 220$4.49 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Street food1 item | Eยฃ 60$1.22 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Cairo โ8% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | Eยฃ 450$9.18 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Cairo โ14% |
| Coffeeone cup | Eยฃ 120$2.45 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ22% |
| Beerone bottle | Eยฃ 130$2.65 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ50% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ36% |
| Bottled water | Eยฃ 12$0.24 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Cairo โ28% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | Eยฃ 20$0.41 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Cairo โ28% |
| Taxi5 km in town | Eยฃ 80$1.63 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Cairo โ39% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ25% |
| Transitone ride | Eยฃ 15$0.31 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Scooter rentalper day | Eยฃ 600$12.2 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Hotel night3-star | Eยฃ 3,000$61.2 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Studio rent (month) | Eยฃ 12,000$245 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Cairo โ36% |
| Laundry | Eยฃ 50$1.02 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Cairo โ11% |
| SIM card1 week data | Eยฃ 350$7.14 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Cairo โ6% |
| Haircutcut | Eยฃ 150$3.06 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Cairo โ19% |
| Massage1 hour | Eยฃ 800$16.3 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ30% |
| Half-day tourper person | Eยฃ 1,500$30.6 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ19% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | Eยฃ 700$14.3 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
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 5% cheaper than Cairo. Daily budget $93.8 vs $68; a month $1,117 vs $1,302.
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Cairo 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cairo is about $1,117 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.