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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Santa Marta
Ho Chi Minh City vs Santa Marta 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
๐จ๐ด Santa MartaHo Chi Minh City is 10% cheaper than Santa Marta
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $1,375 in Santa Marta โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 15tie 1Santa Marta 4
One day's budget in Santa Marta ($79.4) lasts 1.2 days in Ho Chi Minh City
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $79.4
Per month
$1,302 vs $1,375
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs COL$ 17,000
$2.28 vs $4.15
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs COL$ 12,000
$2.66 vs $2.93
At a glance
FoodHo Chi Minh City 24% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinkssimilar
TransportHo Chi Minh City 43% cheaper
Staysimilar
FunHo Chi Minh City 51% cheaper
- Where Santa Marta is clearly cheaper: SIM card (36%โ), Coffee (23%โ), Studio rent (month) (17%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (74%โ), Entry ticket (69%โ), Transit (61%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Santa Marta. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Santa Marta
Overall
Hard3.0
Hard3.4
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
4
Getting around
2
3
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
4
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.4). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Santa Marta 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Santa Marta | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | COL$ 17,000$4.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ45% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Ho Chi Minh City โ9% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | COL$ 45,000$11 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Santa Marta โ23% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | COL$ 5,000$1.22 | Santa Marta โ8% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | COL$ 22,000$5.37 | Ho Chi Minh City โ15% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | COL$ 2,000$0.49 | Ho Chi Minh City โ30% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | COL$ 2,500$0.61 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | COL$ 12,000$2.93 | Ho Chi Minh City โ9% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | COL$ 5,000$1.22 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | COL$ 2,800$0.68 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | COL$ 90,000$22 | Ho Chi Minh City โ74% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | COL$ 180,000$43.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | COL$ 1,300,000$317 | Santa Marta โ17% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | COL$ 6,000$1.46 | Ho Chi Minh City โ22% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | Santa Marta โ36% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | COL$ 20,000$4.88 | Ho Chi Minh City โ22% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | COL$ 80,000$19.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | COL$ 120,000$29.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ16% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | COL$ 25,000$6.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
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 Santa Marta?
Ho Chi Minh City is 10% cheaper than Santa Marta. Daily budget $68 vs $79.4; a month $1,302 vs $1,375.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Santa Marta?
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Santa Marta 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Santa Marta?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Santa Marta about $1,375 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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