✦ Compare
Ho Chi Minh City vs
Seoul
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 Seoul, KR at a glance — Seoul, KR is 86% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City, VN overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $900/mo versus $500/mo. Top income tax: 45% vs 35%.
To keep the same standard of living in Seoul, KR, you'd need
$139,825 / year
Seoul, KR is 86% more expensive overall
Category breakdown (Seoul, KR vs Ho Chi Minh City, VN)
- Housing+137%
- Food & groceries+102%
- Transport+57%
- Utilities+45%
- Healthcare+44%
- Goods & services+73%
Median 1-bed rent
$500 /mo
Ho Chi Minh City, VN overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$900 /mo
Seoul, KR overview →
◎ How Ho Chi Minh City, VN and Seoul, KR compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Ho Chi Minh City, VN | Seoul, KR | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 45 | 84 |
| Housing | 38 | 90 |
| Food | 42 | 85 |
| Transport | 35 | 55 |
| Utilities | 55 | 80 |
| Healthcare | 45 | 65 |
| Goods & services | 55 | 95 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $500/mo | $900/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $320/mo | $650/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $1,000/mo | $1,900/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,500 | $12,000 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $2,217 | $1,189 |
| Inexpensive meal | $3 | $8 |
| Monthly transit pass | — | $45 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 35% | 45% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 10% |
| Corporate tax | 20% | 24% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $500/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Avg annual wage (OECD, PPP) | — | $61,259✓ |
| Minimum wage | $200/mo | $1,500/mo |
| GDP per capita | $4,347✓ | $35,563✓ |
| Inflation (annual) | 3.6%✓ | 2.3%✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | Yes |
| English proficiency | Moderate | Moderate |
| Coworking spaces | 40 | 40 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 | UTC+9 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 48 | 73 |
| Safety index | 60 | 78 |
| Healthcare index | 55 | 82 |
| Pollution index | 65 | 55 |
| Internet speed | 90 Mbps | 220 Mbps |
| Walkability | 40 | 75 |
| Public transport | 35 | 92 |
| Family-friendly | 55 | 68 |
| Tap water | Use caution | Safe to drink |
| Life expectancy | 75 yr✓ | 84 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | Moderate | Low |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +27 °C | -2 °C |
| July avg | +28 °C | +25 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 220 | 200 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,900 mm | 1,400 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 2 h | 2 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: Vietnam vs South Korea. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (OECD (PPP), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Ho Chi Minh City vs Seoul — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
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 Seoul
A hyper-modern megacity with the world's best transit and internet, K-culture everywhere and remarkable safety. The costs are Western-tier, the work culture intense and the jeonse deposits huge — but a new workation visa is opening the door to nomads.
- Currency
- South Korean won (₩ KRW)
- Languages
- Korean
- Time zone
- UTC+9
- Internet
- 220 Mbps
- English
- Fairly common
- Safety
- 78/100
- Climate
- ❄ -2°C · ☀ 25°C · 200 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- C/F · 220V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Gangnam · Itaewon · Hongdae · Seongsu
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
Sponsored
Plan your move to Seoul
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalDiscoverCars
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- InsuranceSafetyWing
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Ho Chi Minh City to Seoul, your cost of living will be roughly 86% more expensive. Seoul’s cost-of-living index is 84 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 Seoul?
Seoul is about 86% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City overall — its cost-of-living index is 84 versus 45 for Ho Chi Minh City.
Which is more expensive, Ho Chi Minh City or Seoul?
Seoul is more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City. Its cost-of-living index is 84 vs 45 (US = 100) — about 87% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City or Seoul?
Rent is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City — about $500/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $900 in Seoul.
How much do you need to earn in Seoul 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 $139,825 in Seoul. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Ho Chi Minh City or Seoul?
Vietnam has the lower top income-tax rate — 35% versus 45% in South Korea.
◷ More comparisons from Ho Chi Minh City
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.