Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Guilin 3 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Guilin | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ยฅ 20$2.82 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ19% |
| Street food1 item | ยฅ 10$1.41 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ยฅ 65$9.15 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Guilin โ14% |
| Coffeeone cup | ยฅ 20$2.82 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Beerone bottle | ยฅ 10$1.41 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ยฅ 45$6.34 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Ho Chi Minh City โ28% |
| Bottled water | ยฅ 2$0.28 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Guilin โ18% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ยฅ 4$0.56 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | ยฅ 15$2.11 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Guilin โ21% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ยฅ 9$1.27 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ40% |
| Transitone ride | ยฅ 2$0.28 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ยฅ 60$8.45 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Hotel night3-star | ยฅ 300$42.3 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ10% |
| Studio rent (month) | ยฅ 1,200$169 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Guilin โ56% |
| Laundry | ยฅ 20$2.82 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ60% |
| SIM card1 week data | ยฅ 130$18.3 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Haircutcut | ยฅ 25$3.52 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Guilin โ7% |
| Massage1 hour | ยฅ 90$12.7 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ10% |
| Half-day tourper person | ยฅ 200$28.2 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ12% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ยฅ 90$12.7 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
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%+.
Guilin is 12% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $71.6 vs $68; a month $986 vs $1,302.
About the same: Guilin 3.0/5, Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Guilin is about $986 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.