Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Singapore is easier to travel (1.0 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Singapore 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Singapore | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | S$ 8$6.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ63% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | S$ 5$3.85 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | S$ 45$34.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | S$ 6.5$5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | S$ 13$10 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | S$ 25$19.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ76% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | S$ 1.6$1.23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ72% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | S$ 2.2$1.69 | Ho Chi Minh City โ66% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | S$ 12$9.23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ71% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | S$ 9$6.92 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | S$ 1.5$1.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ77% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | S$ 20$15.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ63% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | S$ 200$154 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | S$ 3,300$2,538 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | S$ 5$3.85 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | S$ 15$11.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ34% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | S$ 20$15.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | S$ 60$46.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ75% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | S$ 70$53.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | S$ 40$30.8 | 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 78% cheaper than Singapore. Daily budget $68 vs $249; a month $1,302 vs $7,084.
Singapore is easier: Singapore 1.0/5 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 Singapore about $7,084 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.