✦ Compare
Cologne 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.
Cologne, DE vs Ho Chi Minh City, VN at a glance — Ho Chi Minh City, VN is 57% cheaper than Cologne, DE overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $500/mo versus $1,050/mo. Top income tax: 35% vs 45%.
To keep the same standard of living in Ho Chi Minh City, VN, you'd need
$32,050 / year
Ho Chi Minh City, VN is 57% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Ho Chi Minh City, VN vs Cologne, DE)
- Housing-66%
- Food & groceries-60%
- Transport-58%
- Utilities-56%
- Healthcare-53%
- Goods & services-48%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,050 /mo
Cologne, DE overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Ho Chi Minh City, VN overview →
◎ How Cologne, DE and Ho Chi Minh City, VN compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Cologne, DE | Ho Chi Minh City, VN | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 106 | 45 |
| Housing | 112 | 38 |
| Food | 105 | 42 |
| Transport | 84 | 35 |
| Utilities | 126 | 55 |
| Healthcare | 95 | 45 |
| Goods & services | 105 | 55 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,050/mo | $500/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $780/mo | $320/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,000/mo | $1,000/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $6,500 | $3,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $947 | $2,217 |
| Inexpensive meal | $14 | $3 |
| Monthly transit pass | $115 | — |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 45% | 35% |
| VAT / sales tax | 19% | 10% |
| Social security (employee) | 20% | — |
| Corporate tax | 30% | 20% |
| Capital gains | 26.4% | — |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $2,900/mo | $500/mo |
| Minimum wage | $2,200/mo | $200/mo |
| GDP per capita | $60,496 | $4,347 |
| Inflation (annual) | 2.2% | 3.6% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | High | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 35 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+7 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 66 | 60 |
| Healthcare index | 84 | 55 |
| Pollution index | 40 | 65 |
| Internet speed | 150 Mbps | 90 Mbps |
| Walkability | 78 | 40 |
| Public transport | 80 | 35 |
| Family-friendly | 72 | 55 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Use caution |
| Life expectancy | 81 yr | 75 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +3 °C | +27 °C |
| July avg | +19 °C | +28 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 105 | 220 |
| Rainfall / year | 800 mm | 1,900 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Germany vs Vietnam. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
Good to know before you move to Cologne
An easy-going media and culture city on the Rhine, crowned by its Gothic cathedral and famous for carnival and a warm, open crowd. More affordable and less corporate than Munich or Frankfurt, with a lively creative and startup scene.
- Currency
- Euro (€ EUR)
- Languages
- German
- Time zone
- UTC+1
- Internet
- 150 Mbps
- English
- Widely spoken
- Safety
- 66/100
- Climate
- ❄ 3°C · ☀ 19°C · 105 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- F · 230V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Ehrenfeld · Belgisches Viertel · Südstadt · Nippes
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 Cologne
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsNH Hotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- Tours & ticketsTiqets
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Flight compensationAirHelp
Sponsored
Plan your move to Ho Chi Minh City
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalLocalrent
- Scooter rentalBikesBooking
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Cologne to Ho Chi Minh City: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Cologne to Ho Chi Minh City, your cost of living will be roughly 57% cheaper. Ho Chi Minh City’s cost-of-living index is 45 versus 106 for Cologne (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Cologne cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City is about 57% cheaper than Cologne overall — its cost-of-living index is 45 versus 106 for Cologne.
How much do you need to earn in Ho Chi Minh City to live like in Cologne?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Cologne is worth about $32,050 in Ho Chi Minh City. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Cologne or Ho Chi Minh City?
Vietnam has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 45% in Germany.
◷ More comparisons from Cologne
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.