Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
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 โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Taichung | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | NT$ 150$4.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | NT$ 70$2.22 | Ho Chi Minh City โ40% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | NT$ 550$17.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ39% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | NT$ 120$3.81 | Ho Chi Minh City โ50% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | NT$ 120$3.81 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | NT$ 300$9.52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | NT$ 20$0.63 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | NT$ 35$1.11 | Ho Chi Minh City โ49% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | NT$ 190$6.03 | Ho Chi Minh City โ56% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | NT$ 110$3.49 | Ho Chi Minh City โ78% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | NT$ 20$0.63 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | NT$ 600$19 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | NT$ 2,200$69.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ46% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | NT$ 12,000$381 | similar |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | NT$ 100$3.17 | Ho Chi Minh City โ64% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | NT$ 500$15.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | NT$ 300$9.52 | Ho Chi Minh City โ60% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | NT$ 800$25.4 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | NT$ 1,500$47.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ48% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | NT$ 100$3.17 | Ho Chi Minh City โ40% |
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 Taichung. Daily budget $68 vs $127; a month $1,302 vs $1,752.
Taichung is easier: Taichung 2.2/5 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 Taichung about $1,752 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.