✦ Compare
Budapest vs
Ho Chi Minh City
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Budapest, HU vs Ho Chi Minh City, VN at a glance — Ho Chi Minh City, VN is 33% cheaper than Budapest, HU overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $500/mo versus $700/mo. Top income tax: 35% vs 15%.
To keep the same standard of living in Ho Chi Minh City, VN, you'd need
$50,204 / year
Ho Chi Minh City, VN is 33% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Ho Chi Minh City, VN vs Budapest, HU)
- Housing-42%
- Food & groceries-38%
- Transport-30%
- Utilities-42%
- Healthcare-18%
- Goods & services-24%
Median 1-bed rent
$700 /mo
Budapest, HU overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Ho Chi Minh City, VN overview →
◎ How Budapest, HU and Ho Chi Minh City, VN compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Budapest, HU | Ho Chi Minh City, VN | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 67 | 45 |
| Housing | 65 | 38 |
| Food | 68 | 42 |
| Transport | 50 | 35 |
| Utilities | 95 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 55 | 45 |
| Goods & services | 72 | 55 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $700/mo | $500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $520/mo | $320/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,350/mo | $1,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,200 | $3,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,484 | $2,217 |
| Inexpensive meal | $8 | $3 |
| Monthly transit pass | $30 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 15% | 35% |
| VAT / sales tax | 27% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 9% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $900/mo | $500/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | $39,145✓ | — |
| Minimum wage | $1,050/mo✓ | $200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $23,320✓ | $4,347✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.7%✓ | 3.6%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | Yes | No |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+7 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 67 | 48 |
| Safety index | 72 | 60 |
| Healthcare index | 60 | 55 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 65 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 90 Mbps |
| Walkability | 80 | 40 |
| Public transport | 82 | 35 |
| Family-friendly | 65 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Use caution |
| Life expectancy | 77 yr✓ | 75 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Low | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | 0 °C | +27 °C |
| July avg | +22 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 200 | 220 |
| Rainfall / year | 520 mm | 1,900 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1.5 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Hungary vs Vietnam. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), Eurostat 2026, World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Budapest vs Ho Chi Minh City — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Budapest
Grand Habsburg boulevards, thermal baths and ruin bars split by the Danube — one of the EU's best-value capitals, with a flat 15% tax and the White Card pulling in a fast-growing nomad crowd.
- Currency
- Hungarian forint (Ft HUF)
- Languages
- Hungarian
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 72/100
- Climate
- ❄ 0°C · ☀ 22°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- District VII · District V · District XIII · Buda Hills
Good to know before you move to Ho Chi Minh City
Saigon runs on motorbikes, coffee and relentless energy — one of Asia's cheapest big cities, with a fast-growing nomad and startup scene in District 1 and Thao Dien. No dedicated visa yet, so most stay on rolling e-visas.
- Currency
- Vietnamese dong (₫ VND)
- Languages
- Vietnamese
- Time zone
- UTC+7
- Internet
- 90 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 60/100
- Climate
- ❄ 27°C · ☀ 28°C · 220 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Bottled recommended
- Power
- A/C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- District 1 · Thao Dien · Binh Thanh · Phu Nhuan
Plan your move to Budapest
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
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Plan your move to Ho Chi Minh City
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
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? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Budapest to Ho Chi Minh City: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Budapest to Ho Chi Minh City, your cost of living will be roughly 33% cheaper. Ho Chi Minh City’s cost-of-living index is 45 versus 67 for Budapest (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Budapest cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City is about 33% cheaper than Budapest overall — its cost-of-living index is 45 versus 67 for Budapest.
Which is more expensive, Budapest or Ho Chi Minh City?
Budapest is more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City. Its cost-of-living index is 67 vs 45 (US = 100) — about 49% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Budapest or Ho Chi Minh City?
Rent is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City — about $500/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $700 in Budapest.
How much do you need to earn in Ho Chi Minh City to live like in Budapest?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Budapest is worth about $50,204 in Ho Chi Minh City. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Budapest or Ho Chi Minh City?
Hungary has the lower top income-tax rate — 15% versus 35% in Vietnam.
◷ More comparisons from Budapest
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.