Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money Ā· Updated October 2026
Skopje is easier to travel (2.0 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling ā Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Skopje 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking āŗ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Skopje | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | ā« 60,000$2.28 | Ген 450$8.49 | Ho Chi Minh City ā73% |
| Street food1 item | ā« 35,000$1.33 | Ген 150$2.83 | Ho Chi Minh City ā53% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | ā« 280,000$10.6 | Ген 800$15.1 | Ho Chi Minh City ā29% |
| Coffeeone cup | ā« 50,000$1.9 | Ген 120$2.26 | Ho Chi Minh City ā16% |
| Beerone bottle | ā« 35,000$1.33 | Ген 130$2.45 | Ho Chi Minh City ā46% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | ā« 120,000$4.56 | Ген 300$5.66 | Ho Chi Minh City ā19% |
| Bottled water | ā« 9,000$0.34 | Ген 30$0.57 | Ho Chi Minh City ā40% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | ā« 15,000$0.57 | Ген 60$1.13 | Ho Chi Minh City ā50% |
| Taxi5 km in town | ā« 70,000$2.66 | Ген 220$4.15 | Ho Chi Minh City ā36% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | ā« 20,000$0.76 | Ген 120$2.26 | Ho Chi Minh City ā66% |
| Transitone ride | ā« 7,000$0.27 | Ген 40$0.75 | Ho Chi Minh City ā65% |
| Scooter rentalper day | ā« 150,000$5.7 | Ген 800$15.1 | Ho Chi Minh City ā62% |
| Hotel night3-star | ā« 1,000,000$38 | Ген 3,700$69.8 | Ho Chi Minh City ā46% |
| Studio rent (month) | ⫠10,000,000$380 | Ген 21,000$396 | similar |
| Laundry | ā« 30,000$1.14 | Ген 160$3.02 | Ho Chi Minh City ā62% |
| SIM card1 week data | ā« 200,000$7.6 | Ген 350$6.6 | Skopje ā13% |
| Haircutcut | ā« 100,000$3.8 | Ген 300$5.66 | Ho Chi Minh City ā33% |
| Massage1 hour | ā« 300,000$11.4 | Ген 1,800$34 | Ho Chi Minh City ā66% |
| Half-day tourper person | ā« 650,000$24.7 | Ген 1,800$34 | Ho Chi Minh City ā27% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | ā« 50,000$1.9 | Ген 300$5.66 | Ho Chi Minh City ā66% |
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 38% cheaper than Skopje. Daily budget $68 vs $127; a month $1,302 vs $1,805.
Skopje is easier: Skopje 2.0/5 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 Skopje about $1,805 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.