Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Galway is easier to travel (1.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Galway 1 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Galway | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฌ 17$19.8 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ88% |
| Street food1 item | โฌ 11$12.8 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฌ 40$46.5 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ77% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฌ 3.9$4.53 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Beerone bottle | โฌ 6.5$7.56 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฌ 12$14 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Bottled water | โฌ 1.6$1.86 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฌ 2$2.33 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฌ 13$15.1 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฌ 8$9.3 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ92% |
| Transitone ride | โฌ 2.2$2.56 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฌ 25$29.1 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฌ 150$174 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ78% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฌ 1,600$1,860 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Laundry | โฌ 14$16.3 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ93% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฌ 20$23.3 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Haircutcut | โฌ 17$19.8 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Massage1 hour | โฌ 75$87.2 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฌ 30$34.9 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฌ 15$17.4 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
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 81% cheaper than Galway. Daily budget $335 vs $68; a month $7,388 vs $1,302.
Galway is easier: Galway 1.2/5 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, Galway is about $7,388 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.