Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Hakodate is easier to travel (2.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Hakodate 2 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Hakodate | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ยฅ 1,100$7.43 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Street food1 item | ยฅ 600$4.05 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ยฅ 4,000$27 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Coffeeone cup | ยฅ 550$3.72 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Beerone bottle | ยฅ 600$4.05 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ยฅ 700$4.73 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | similar |
| Bottled water | ยฅ 120$0.81 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ยฅ 180$1.22 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ยฅ 2,200$14.9 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Transitone ride | ยฅ 250$1.69 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ84% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ยฅ 2,000$13.5 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Hotel night3-star | ยฅ 12,000$81.1 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Studio rent (month) | ยฅ 50,000$338 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Hakodate โ11% |
| Laundry | ยฅ 900$6.08 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| SIM card1 week data | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Haircutcut | ยฅ 3,000$20.3 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Massage1 hour | ยฅ 6,000$40.5 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ72% |
| Half-day tourper person | ยฅ 3,500$23.6 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ยฅ 1,800$12.2 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ84% |
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 53% cheaper than Hakodate. Daily budget $181 vs $68; a month $2,297 vs $1,302.
Hakodate is easier: Hakodate 2.2/5 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, Hakodate is about $2,297 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.