Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
London is easier to travel (1.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs London 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | London | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | ยฃ 17$23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฃ 10$13.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | ยฃ 38$51.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฃ 3.7$5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฃ 6.8$9.19 | Ho Chi Minh City โ86% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | ยฃ 13$17.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ74% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | ยฃ 1.3$1.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | ยฃ 2$2.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | ยฃ 16$21.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ88% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | ยฃ 9$12.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ94% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | ยฃ 1.75$2.36 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | ยฃ 25$33.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | ยฃ 180$243 | Ho Chi Minh City โ84% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | ยฃ 1,900$2,568 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | ยฃ 3$4.05 | Ho Chi Minh City โ72% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | ยฃ 10$13.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ44% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | ยฃ 25$33.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | ยฃ 65$87.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | ยฃ 50$67.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ63% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฃ 32$43.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ96% |
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 85% cheaper than London. Daily budget $68 vs $438; a month $1,302 vs $8,616.
London is easier: London 1.4/5 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, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and London about $8,616 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.