Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Muscat is easier to travel (2.8 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Muscat 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Muscat | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | OMR 2.5$6.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | OMR 0.5$1.3 | similar |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | OMR 7$18.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | OMR 1.8$4.68 | Ho Chi Minh City โ59% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | OMR 4.5$11.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | OMR 6$15.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ71% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | OMR 0.1$0.26 | Muscat โ24% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | OMR 0.3$0.78 | Ho Chi Minh City โ27% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | OMR 2.5$6.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ59% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | OMR 1.8$4.68 | Ho Chi Minh City โ84% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | OMR 0.3$0.78 | Ho Chi Minh City โ66% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | OMR 7$18.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | OMR 28$72.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ48% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | OMR 230$598 | Ho Chi Minh City โ36% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | OMR 1$2.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ56% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | OMR 5$13 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | OMR 3$7.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ51% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | OMR 18$46.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ76% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | OMR 20$52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | OMR 5$13 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
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 49% cheaper than Muscat. Daily budget $68 vs $138; a month $1,302 vs $2,486.
Muscat is easier: Muscat 2.8/5 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 Muscat about $2,486 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.