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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Tokyo
Ho Chi Minh City vs Tokyo cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City
๐ฏ๐ต TokyoHo Chi Minh City is 67% cheaper than Tokyo
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $3,723 in Tokyo โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 20tie 0Tokyo 0
One day's budget in Tokyo ($212) lasts 3.1 days in Ho Chi Minh City
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $212
Per month
$1,302 vs $3,723
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs ยฅ 1,100
$2.28 vs $7.43
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs ยฅ 2,400
$2.66 vs $16.2
At a glance
FoodHo Chi Minh City 64% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 61% cheaper
TransportHo Chi Minh City 85% cheaper
StayHo Chi Minh City 64% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 77% cheaper
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (89%โ), Haircut (86%โ), Entry ticket (86%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Tokyo. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Tokyo
Overall
Hard3.0
Easy1.6
Rip-offs & haggling
4
1
Language
3
3
Getting around
2
1
Payments
3
2
Safety
3
1
Tokyo is easier to travel (1.6 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Tokyo 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Tokyo | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | ยฅ 1,100$7.43 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 500$3.38 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | ยฅ 4,000$27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 600$4.05 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | ยฅ 650$4.39 | Ho Chi Minh City โ70% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | ยฅ 1,500$10.1 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | ยฅ 130$0.88 | Ho Chi Minh City โ61% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | ยฅ 180$1.22 | Ho Chi Minh City โ53% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | ยฅ 2,400$16.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ84% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ89% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | ยฅ 210$1.42 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | ยฅ 2,000$13.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | ยฅ 16,000$108 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | ยฅ 150,000$1,014 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | ยฅ 1,000$6.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | ยฅ 2,500$16.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ55% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | ยฅ 4,000$27 | Ho Chi Minh City โ86% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | ยฅ 5,500$37.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ69% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | ยฅ 9,000$60.8 | Ho Chi Minh City โ59% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | ยฅ 2,000$13.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ86% |
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.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Tokyo?
Ho Chi Minh City is 67% cheaper than Tokyo. Daily budget $68 vs $212; a month $1,302 vs $3,723.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Tokyo?
Tokyo is easier: Tokyo 1.6/5 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 Tokyo?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Tokyo about $3,723 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.
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