Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Sihanoukville 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Sihanoukville | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | $ 3.5$3.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ35% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | $ 2$2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | $ 10$10 | Sihanoukville โ6% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | $ 2.5$2.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ24% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | $ 4$4 | Sihanoukville โ12% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | $ 0.5$0.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ32% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | $ 0.8$0.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ29% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | $ 3$3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | $ 6$6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ5% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | $ 41$41 | Ho Chi Minh City โ7% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | $ 300$300 | Sihanoukville โ21% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | $ 1.5$1.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ24% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | $ 6$6 | Sihanoukville โ21% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | $ 4$4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ5% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | $ 8$8 | Sihanoukville โ30% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | $ 20$20 | Sihanoukville โ19% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | $ 5$5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
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 6% cheaper than Sihanoukville. Daily budget $68 vs $75.1; a month $1,302 vs $1,333.
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Sihanoukville 3.2/5 (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 Sihanoukville about $1,333 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.