Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Suwon is easier to travel (1.6 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Suwon 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Suwon | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | โฉ 9,500$6.88 | Ho Chi Minh City โ67% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | โฉ 4,000$2.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | โฉ 22,000$15.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ33% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | โฉ 4,700$3.41 | Ho Chi Minh City โ44% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | โฉ 5,000$3.62 | Ho Chi Minh City โ63% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | โฉ 12,000$8.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ48% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | โฉ 1,100$0.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ57% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | โฉ 2,000$1.45 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | โฉ 8,000$5.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ54% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | โฉ 5,100$3.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ79% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | โฉ 1,600$1.16 | Ho Chi Minh City โ77% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | โฉ 10,000$7.25 | Ho Chi Minh City โ21% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | โฉ 90,000$65.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | โฉ 600,000$435 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | โฉ 9,000$6.52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | โฉ 33,000$23.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ68% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | โฉ 13,000$9.42 | Ho Chi Minh City โ60% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | โฉ 50,000$36.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | โฉ 50,000$36.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ32% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | โฉ 2,000$1.45 | Suwon โ24% |
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 41% cheaper than Suwon. Daily budget $68 vs $125; a month $1,302 vs $1,999.
Suwon is easier: Suwon 1.6/5 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 Suwon about $1,999 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.