Earn Here, Spend ThereWhat is this money worth over there?
KOOpen app
Compare cities โ€บ Ho Chi Minh City vs Taichung

Ho Chi Minh City vs Taichung cost of living 2026

Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026

Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh CityVietnam
VS
Taichung๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ผ TaichungTaiwan
Ho Chi Minh City is 38% cheaper than Taichung
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $1,752 in Taichung โ€” same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 19tie 1Taichung 0
One day's budget in Taichung ($127) lasts 1.9 days in Ho Chi Minh City
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ€” see your real monthly difference ยท free
โ€บ
Per day
$68 vs $127
Per month
$1,302 vs $1,752
Local meal
โ‚ซ 60,000 vs NT$ 150
$2.28 vs $4.76
Taxi 5 km
โ‚ซ 70,000 vs NT$ 190
$2.66 vs $6.03

At a glance

FoodHo Chi Minh City 44% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 57% cheaper
TransportHo Chi Minh City 68% cheaper
StayHo Chi Minh City 30% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 48% cheaper

By category

FoodTaichung +71%
Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung
Cafรฉs & drinksTaichung +120%
Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung
TransportTaichung +175%
Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung
StayTaichung +84%
Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung
FunTaichung +100%
Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung

Salary equivalence

Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Taichung. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.

Travel difficulty

Ho Chi Minh City
Taichung
Overall
Hard3.0
Moderate2.2
Rip-offs & haggling
4
2
Language
3
3
Getting around
2
2
Payments
3
2
Safety
3
2

Taichung is easier to travel (2.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ€” Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Taichung 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โ€บ

Item by item

ItemHo Chi Minh CityTaichungCheaper
Local mealper personโ‚ซ 60,000$2.28NT$ 150$4.76Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’52%
Street food1 itemโ‚ซ 35,000$1.33NT$ 70$2.22Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’40%
Restaurant dinnerper personโ‚ซ 280,000$10.6NT$ 550$17.5Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’39%
Coffeeone cupโ‚ซ 50,000$1.9NT$ 120$3.81Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’50%
Beerone bottleโ‚ซ 35,000$1.33NT$ 120$3.81Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’65%
Cocktail & wineone cupโ‚ซ 120,000$4.56NT$ 300$9.52Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’52%
Bottled waterโ‚ซ 9,000$0.34NT$ 20$0.63Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’46%
Convenience store1 snack or drinkโ‚ซ 15,000$0.57NT$ 35$1.11Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’49%
Taxi5 km in townโ‚ซ 70,000$2.66NT$ 190$6.03Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’56%
Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hopโ‚ซ 20,000$0.76NT$ 110$3.49Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’78%
Transitone rideโ‚ซ 7,000$0.27NT$ 20$0.63Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’58%
Scooter rentalper dayโ‚ซ 150,000$5.7NT$ 600$19Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’70%
Hotel night3-starโ‚ซ 1,000,000$38NT$ 2,200$69.8Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’46%
Studio rent (month)โ‚ซ 10,000,000$380NT$ 12,000$381similar
Laundryโ‚ซ 30,000$1.14NT$ 100$3.17Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’64%
SIM card1 week dataโ‚ซ 200,000$7.6NT$ 500$15.9Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’52%
Haircutcutโ‚ซ 100,000$3.8NT$ 300$9.52Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’60%
Massage1 hourโ‚ซ 300,000$11.4NT$ 800$25.4Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’55%
Half-day tourper personโ‚ซ 650,000$24.7NT$ 1,500$47.6Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’48%
Entry ticketTourist townโ‚ซ 50,000$1.9NT$ 100$3.17Ho Chi Minh City โˆ’40%

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 โ€บ

FAQ

Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Taichung?

Ho Chi Minh City is 38% cheaper than Taichung. Daily budget $68 vs $127; a month $1,302 vs $1,752.

Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Taichung?

Taichung is easier: Taichung 2.2/5 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 Taichung?

With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Taichung about $1,752 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

๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ท Athens vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ฉ Bali vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ Barcelona vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡น๐Ÿ‡ญ Bangkok vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ญ๐Ÿ‡บ Budapest vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท Busan vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ญ Cebu vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡ฐ Colombo vs ๐Ÿ‡ป๐Ÿ‡ณ Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City trip costTaichung trip costCompare other cities โ€บ
Open the appAll citiesCompare citiesExpense trackerํ•œ๊ตญ์–ดPrivacyยฉ 2026 Earn Here, Spend There
Compare on my lifestyle โ€บ