Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Puerto Escondido 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Puerto Escondido | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | MX$ 100$5.38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | MX$ 50$2.69 | Ho Chi Minh City โ50% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | MX$ 280$15.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | MX$ 55$2.96 | Ho Chi Minh City โ36% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | MX$ 60$3.23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ59% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | MX$ 130$6.99 | Ho Chi Minh City โ35% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | MX$ 14$0.75 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | MX$ 22$1.18 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | MX$ 80$4.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | MX$ 40$2.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | MX$ 12$0.65 | Ho Chi Minh City โ59% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | MX$ 350$18.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | MX$ 1,100$59.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ36% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | MX$ 12,000$645 | Ho Chi Minh City โ41% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | MX$ 30$1.61 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | MX$ 200$10.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | MX$ 120$6.45 | Ho Chi Minh City โ41% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | MX$ 700$37.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | MX$ 800$43 | Ho Chi Minh City โ43% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | MX$ 100$5.38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
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 43% cheaper than Puerto Escondido. Daily budget $68 vs $109; a month $1,302 vs $2,516.
About the same: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5, Puerto Escondido 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 Puerto Escondido about $2,516 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.