Earn Here, Spend ThereWhat is this money worth over there?
KOOpen app
Journey will show you around
City pricesDaily travel budget & monthly costPrice mapTap a city, see it in your moneyTrip budgetPlan a multi-city trip budgetTravel difficultyEasiest & hardest cities to travelCompareTwo cities side by sideBlogTravel money stories & rankingsCurrencyQuick conversion tablesExpense trackerLog trip costs from a receiptPopular cities
Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Shenzhen
Ho Chi Minh City vs Shenzhen 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
๐จ๐ณ ShenzhenHo Chi Minh City is 32% cheaper than Shenzhen
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $2,107 in Shenzhen โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 17tie 0Shenzhen 3
One day's budget in Shenzhen ($89.8) lasts 1.3 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 $89.8
Per month
$1,302 vs $2,107
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs ยฅ 28
$2.28 vs $3.94
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs ยฅ 17
$2.66 vs $2.39
At a glance
FoodHo Chi Minh City 31% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 46% cheaper
TransportHo Chi Minh City 25% cheaper
StayHo Chi Minh City 33% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 84% cheaper
- Where Shenzhen is clearly cheaper: Scooter rental (51%โ), Bottled water (18%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (93%โ), Cocktail & wine (54%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (51%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Shenzhen. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Shenzhen
Overall
Hard3.0
Moderate2.4
Rip-offs & haggling
4
2
Language
3
4
Getting around
2
1
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
2
Shenzhen is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Shenzhen 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Shenzhen | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | ยฅ 28$3.94 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 12$1.69 | Ho Chi Minh City โ21% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | ยฅ 100$14.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ24% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 25$3.52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | Ho Chi Minh City โ37% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | ยฅ 70$9.86 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | ยฅ 2$0.28 | Shenzhen โ18% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | ยฅ 5$0.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ19% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | ยฅ 17$2.39 | Shenzhen โ10% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | ยฅ 11$1.55 | Ho Chi Minh City โ51% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | ยฅ 2$0.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ6% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | ยฅ 20$2.82 | Shenzhen โ51% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | ยฅ 350$49.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ23% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | ยฅ 4,500$634 | Ho Chi Minh City โ40% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | ยฅ 15$2.11 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | ยฅ 100$14.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | ยฅ 35$4.93 | Ho Chi Minh City โ23% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | ยฅ 160$22.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | ยฅ 300$42.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 200$28.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ93% |
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.
Open free โบ
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Shenzhen?
Ho Chi Minh City is 32% cheaper than Shenzhen. Daily budget $68 vs $89.8; a month $1,302 vs $2,107.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Shenzhen?
Shenzhen is easier: Shenzhen 2.4/5 vs Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Shenzhen?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Shenzhen about $2,107 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.
Related comparisons
๐ฌ๐ท Athens vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฎ๐ฉ Bali vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ช๐ธ Barcelona vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐น๐ญ Bangkok vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ญ๐บ Budapest vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฐ๐ท Busan vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ต๐ญ Cebu vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฑ๐ฐ Colombo vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City