Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 4.0). Biggest gap: payments โ Ho Chi Minh City 3 vs Yangon 5. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Yangon | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | K 5,000$1.25 | Yangon โ45% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | K 2,500$0.62 | Yangon โ53% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | K 18,000$4.5 | Yangon โ58% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | K 4,500$1.12 | Yangon โ41% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | K 3,000$0.75 | Yangon โ44% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | K 15,000$3.75 | Yangon โ18% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | K 500$0.12 | Yangon โ63% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | K 1,500$0.38 | Yangon โ34% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | K 10,000$2.5 | Yangon โ6% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | K 5,000$1.25 | Ho Chi Minh City โ39% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | K 400$0.1 | Yangon โ62% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | K 10,000$2.5 | Yangon โ56% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | K 160,000$40 | Ho Chi Minh City โ5% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | K 550,000$138 | Yangon โ64% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | K 3,000$0.75 | Yangon โ34% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | K 10,000$2.5 | Yangon โ67% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | K 7,000$1.75 | Yangon โ54% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | K 20,000$5 | Yangon โ56% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | K 100,000$25 | similar |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | K 20,000$5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ62% |
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%+.
Yangon is 36% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $58.1; a month $1,302 vs $561.
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Yangon 4.0/5 (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 Yangon about $561 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.