✦ Compare
Ho Chi Minh City vs
Sapporo
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Ho Chi Minh City, VN vs Sapporo, JP at a glance — Sapporo, JP is 97% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City, VN overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $650/mo versus $500/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Sapporo, JP, you'd need
$148,071 / year
Sapporo, JP is 97% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Sapporo, JP vs Ho Chi Minh City, VN)
- Housing+89%
- Food & groceries+126%
- Transport+123%
- Utilities+109%
- Healthcare+89%
- Goods & services+85%
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Ho Chi Minh City, VN overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$650 /mo
Sapporo, JP overview →
◎ How Ho Chi Minh City, VN and Sapporo, JP compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Ho Chi Minh City, VN | Sapporo, JP | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 45 | 89 |
| Housing | 38 | 72 |
| Food | 42 | 95 |
| Transport | 35 | 78 |
| Utilities | 55 | 115 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 85 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 102 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $500/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $320/mo | $470/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,000/mo | $1,200/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,500 | $3,800 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,217 | $1,123 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $55 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 20% | 30% |
| Capital gains | — | 20.3% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $500/mo | $2,600/mo |
| Minimum wage | $200/mo | $1,300/mo |
| GDP per capita | $4,347 | $35,951 |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.6% | 3.2% |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Low |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 15 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Safety index | 60 | 82 |
| Healthcare index | 55 | 84 |
| Pollution index | 65 | 30 |
| Internet speed | 90 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 40 | 74 |
| Public transport | 35 | 80 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 74 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 75 yr | 84 yr |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Moderate |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +27 °C | -3 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +21 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 220 | 170 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,900 mm | 1,100 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Vietnam vs Japan. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
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
Good to know before you move to Sapporo
The spacious, grid-planned capital of Hokkaido — famous for snow, ramen, beer and easy access to world-class skiing. It keeps Japan's safety and reliability at noticeably lower rents than Tokyo or Osaka, with long, cold winters the main trade-off.
- Currency
- Japanese yen (¥ JPY)
- Languages
- Japanese
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Rarely spoken
- Safety
- 82/100
- Climate
- ❄ -3°C · ☀ 21°C · 170 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 100V
- Driving
- Left-hand side
- Popular areas
- Chuo · Susukino · Odori · Maruyama
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
Plan your move to Sapporo
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Sapporo: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Sapporo, your cost of living will be roughly 97% more expensive. Sapporo’s cost-of-living index is 89 versus 45 for Ho Chi Minh City (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Ho Chi Minh City cheaper than Sapporo?
Sapporo is about 97% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City overall — its cost-of-living index is 89 versus 45 for Ho Chi Minh City.
How much do you need to earn in Sapporo to live like in Ho Chi Minh City?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Ho Chi Minh City is worth about $148,071 in Sapporo. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Ho Chi Minh City or Sapporo?
Vietnam has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 45% in Japan.
◷ More comparisons from Ho Chi Minh City
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.