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Ho Chi Minh City vs Medellín cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money · Updated October 2026
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City
🇨🇴 Medellín
At a glance
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (76%↓), Transit (75%↓), Scooter rental (74%↓)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling — Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Medellín 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking ›
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Medellín | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ₫ 60,000$2.28 | COL$ 16,000$3.9 | Ho Chi Minh City −42% |
| Street food1 item | ₫ 35,000$1.33 | COL$ 7,200$1.76 | Ho Chi Minh City −24% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ₫ 280,000$10.6 | COL$ 57,000$13.9 | Ho Chi Minh City −23% |
| Coffeeone cup | ₫ 50,000$1.9 | COL$ 8,200$2 | Ho Chi Minh City −5% |
| Beerone bottle | ₫ 35,000$1.33 | COL$ 6,500$1.59 | Ho Chi Minh City −16% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ₫ 120,000$4.56 | COL$ 30,000$7.32 | Ho Chi Minh City −38% |
| Bottled water | ₫ 9,000$0.34 | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | Ho Chi Minh City −44% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ₫ 15,000$0.57 | COL$ 3,500$0.85 | Ho Chi Minh City −33% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ₫ 70,000$2.66 | COL$ 14,000$3.41 | Ho Chi Minh City −22% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ₫ 20,000$0.76 | COL$ 9,000$2.2 | Ho Chi Minh City −65% |
| Transitone ride | ₫ 7,000$0.27 | COL$ 4,400$1.07 | Ho Chi Minh City −75% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ₫ 150,000$5.7 | COL$ 90,000$22 | Ho Chi Minh City −74% |
| Hotel night3-star | ₫ 1,000,000$38 | COL$ 200,000$48.8 | Ho Chi Minh City −22% |
| Studio rent (month) | ₫ 10,000,000$380 | COL$ 2,200,000$537 | Ho Chi Minh City −29% |
| Laundry | ₫ 30,000$1.14 | COL$ 7,000$1.71 | Ho Chi Minh City −33% |
| SIM card1 week data | ₫ 200,000$7.6 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | Ho Chi Minh City −6% |
| Haircutcut | ₫ 100,000$3.8 | COL$ 25,000$6.1 | Ho Chi Minh City −38% |
| Massage1 hour | ₫ 300,000$11.4 | COL$ 80,000$19.5 | Ho Chi Minh City −42% |
| Half-day tourper person | ₫ 650,000$24.7 | COL$ 100,000$24.4 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ₫ 50,000$1.9 | COL$ 33,000$8.05 | Ho Chi Minh City −76% |
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%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Medellín?
Ho Chi Minh City is 26% cheaper than Medellín. Daily budget $68 vs $89.6; a month $1,302 vs $1,812.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Medellín?
About the same: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5, Medellín 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Medellín?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Medellín about $1,812 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.