Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Seychelles is easier to travel (2.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Seychelles 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Seychelles | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | SCR 200$13.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | SCR 100$6.78 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | SCR 500$33.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | SCR 90$6.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | SCR 80$5.42 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | SCR 250$16.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ73% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | SCR 12$0.81 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | SCR 40$2.71 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | SCR 300$20.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | SCR 200$13.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ94% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | SCR 12$0.81 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | SCR 150$10.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ44% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | SCR 2,000$136 | Ho Chi Minh City โ72% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | SCR 12,000$814 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | SCR 100$6.78 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | SCR 400$27.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ72% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | SCR 150$10.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ63% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | SCR 1,000$67.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | SCR 1,200$81.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | SCR 250$16.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
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 73% cheaper than Seychelles. Daily budget $68 vs $278; a month $1,302 vs $4,282.
Seychelles is easier: Seychelles 2.2/5 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 Seychelles about $4,282 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.