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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Medan
Ho Chi Minh City vs Medan 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
๐ฎ๐ฉ MedanMedan is 24% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $874 in Medan โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 6tie 0Medan 14
One day's budget in Ho Chi Minh City ($68) lasts 1.2 days in Medan
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $57.3
Per month
$1,302 vs $874
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs Rp 30,000
$2.28 vs $1.84
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs Rp 35,000
$2.66 vs $2.15
At a glance
FoodMedan 19% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 34% cheaper
TransportHo Chi Minh City 5% cheaper
StayMedan 27% cheaper
FunMedan 20% cheaper
- Where Medan is clearly cheaper: Laundry (57%โ), Studio rent (month) (44%โ), Half-day tour (38%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Beer (52%โ), Cocktail & wine (26%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (17%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Medan. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Medan
Overall
Hard3.0
Hard3.0
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
4
Getting around
2
2
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
3
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Medan 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Medan | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Medan โ19% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 20,000$1.23 | Medan โ8% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Rp 120,000$7.36 | Medan โ31% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 35,000$2.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 45,000$2.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Ho Chi Minh City โ26% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Rp 4,000$0.25 | Medan โ28% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Rp 7,000$0.43 | Medan โ25% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 35,000$2.15 | Medan โ19% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Ho Chi Minh City โ17% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Rp 5,000$0.31 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Rp 80,000$4.91 | Medan โ14% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Rp 550,000$33.7 | Medan โ11% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Rp 3,500,000$215 | Medan โ44% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Medan โ57% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Medan โ19% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 40,000$2.45 | Medan โ35% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 120,000$7.36 | Medan โ35% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Rp 250,000$15.3 | Medan โ38% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 35,000$2.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
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 Medan?
Medan is 24% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $57.3; a month $1,302 vs $874.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Medan?
About the same: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5, Medan 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Medan?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Medan about $874 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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