Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Reykjavik is easier to travel (1.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Reykjavik 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Reykjavik | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | kr 3,200$26.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ91% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | kr 820$6.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | kr 6,000$49.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | kr 750$6.22 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | kr 1,500$12.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | kr 2,200$18.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | kr 300$2.49 | Ho Chi Minh City โ86% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | kr 350$2.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | kr 3,500$29 | Ho Chi Minh City โ91% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | kr 1,900$15.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ95% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | kr 690$5.72 | Ho Chi Minh City โ95% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | kr 7,000$58.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ90% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | kr 25,000$207 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | kr 260,000$2,157 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | kr 2,000$16.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ93% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | kr 3,500$29 | Ho Chi Minh City โ74% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | kr 7,500$62.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ94% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | kr 18,000$149 | Ho Chi Minh City โ92% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | kr 13,000$108 | Ho Chi Minh City โ77% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | kr 4,000$33.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ94% |
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 Reykjavik. Daily budget $68 vs $429; a month $1,302 vs $9,124.
Reykjavik is easier: Reykjavik 1.2/5 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 Reykjavik about $9,124 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.