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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Lijiang
Ho Chi Minh City vs Lijiang cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City
๐จ๐ณ LijiangHo Chi Minh City and Lijiang cost about the same
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $1,258 in Lijiang โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 15tie 1Lijiang 4
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $73.4
Per month
$1,302 vs $1,258
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs ยฅ 35
$2.28 vs $4.93
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs ยฅ 15
$2.66 vs $2.11
At a glance
FoodHo Chi Minh City 33% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 40% cheaper
TransportHo Chi Minh City 19% cheaper
StayLijiang 26% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 72% cheaper
- Where Lijiang is clearly cheaper: Studio rent (month) (44%โ), Taxi (21%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (87%โ), Laundry (60%โ), Local meal (54%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Lijiang. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Lijiang
Overall
Hard3.0
Hard3.0
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
4
Getting around
2
3
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
2
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Lijiang 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Lijiang | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | ยฅ 35$4.93 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 12$1.69 | Ho Chi Minh City โ21% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | ยฅ 80$11.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 25$3.52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | Ho Chi Minh City โ37% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | ยฅ 50$7.04 | Ho Chi Minh City โ35% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | ยฅ 3$0.42 | Ho Chi Minh City โ19% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | ยฅ 4$0.56 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | Lijiang โ21% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | ยฅ 10$1.41 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | ยฅ 2$0.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | ยฅ 80$11.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | ยฅ 250$35.2 | Lijiang โ7% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | ยฅ 1,500$211 | Lijiang โ44% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | ยฅ 20$2.82 | Ho Chi Minh City โ60% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | ยฅ 100$14.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | ยฅ 25$3.52 | Lijiang โ7% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | ยฅ 120$16.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | ยฅ 350$49.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ50% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 100$14.1 | 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%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Lijiang?
Ho Chi Minh City and Lijiang cost about the same. Daily budget $68 vs $73.4; a month $1,302 vs $1,258.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Lijiang?
About the same: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5, Lijiang 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Lijiang?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Lijiang about $1,258 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
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.
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