Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Wellington is easier to travel (1.2 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Wellington 1. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Wellington | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | NZ$ 25$15.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | NZ$ 15$9.09 | Ho Chi Minh City โ85% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | NZ$ 55$33.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ68% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | NZ$ 6$3.64 | Ho Chi Minh City โ48% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | NZ$ 13$7.88 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | NZ$ 15$9.09 | Ho Chi Minh City โ50% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | NZ$ 3$1.82 | Ho Chi Minh City โ81% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | NZ$ 4$2.42 | Ho Chi Minh City โ76% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | NZ$ 17$10.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ74% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | NZ$ 10$6.06 | Ho Chi Minh City โ87% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | NZ$ 2.15$1.3 | Ho Chi Minh City โ80% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | NZ$ 40$24.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ76% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | NZ$ 180$109 | Ho Chi Minh City โ65% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | NZ$ 1,950$1,182 | Ho Chi Minh City โ68% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | NZ$ 8$4.85 | Ho Chi Minh City โ76% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | NZ$ 30$18.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ58% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | NZ$ 35$21.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ82% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | NZ$ 110$66.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ83% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | NZ$ 85$51.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | NZ$ 35$21.2 | Ho Chi Minh City โ91% |
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 70% cheaper than Wellington. Daily budget $68 vs $226; a month $1,302 vs $4,500.
Wellington is easier: Wellington 1.2/5 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 Wellington about $4,500 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.