How Much Does Ho Chi Minh City Cost per Day
A full breakdown of Ho Chi Minh City prices: daily budgets by tier, every itemised cost from the guide, and where the money actually goes.
The short answer
Budget travellers in Ho Chi Minh City spend around USD 25 a day. Mid-range travel runs closer to USD 65, and a splurge day lands around USD 150. USD per day per person. Vietnam is cheap by regional standards; District 1 hotel and food prices run higher than the rest of the country.
Daily cost breakdown
- Stay
- Food
- Transport
- Activities
| Tier | Stay | Food | Transport | Activities | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | USD 8 | USD 8 | USD 4 | USD 5 | USD 25 |
| Mid-range | USD 35 | USD 15 | USD 8 | USD 12 | USD 70 |
| Splurge | USD 90 | USD 35 | USD 15 | USD 25 | USD 165 |
Mid-range day: boutique District 1 hotel room ~35 USD, banh mi and coffee breakfast ~2 USD, museum entry ~2 USD, com tam lunch ~3 USD, Grab rides around town ~5 USD total, sit-down Vietnamese dinner ~10 USD, one rooftop cocktail ~12 USD. Comes to roughly 65-70 USD.
Every priced item in this guide
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| War Remnants Museum | 40,000 VND adults, 20,000 VND ages 6-16, free under 6 |
| Reunification Palace | Full access 80,000 VND (18-59), 40,000 VND seniors, 20,000 VND children; single-exhibition ticket 40,000 VND |
| Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica | free (exterior/grounds only) |
| Saigon Central Post Office | free |
| Ben Thanh Market | free entry, goods marked up for tourists |
| Jade Emperor Pagoda | free (donations welcome) |
| Bitexco Financial Tower Saigon Skydeck | around 240,000 VND |
| Landmark 81 Skyview | around 300,000 VND standard, combo tickets from 420,000 VND, higher on weekends |
| Cu Chi Tunnels (Ben Dinh or Ben Duoc) | around 110,000-135,000 VND entry, half-day group tours 10-25 USD including transport |
| Rooftop bar scene (Bitexco EON51, Chill Skybar, Landmark 81's rooftop spots) | cocktails typically 200,000-350,000 VND |
| Banh mi | VND 20,000-35,000 |
| Com tam (broken rice) | VND 35,000-55,000 |
| Pho (southern style) | VND 40,000-65,000 |
| Banh xeo | VND 60,000-100,000 |
| Chinese-Vietnamese food in Cho Lon | VND 50,000-150,000 per dish |
| Bun thit nuong | VND 35,000-50,000 |
| Che (sweet soups) | VND 15,000-25,000 |
What I actually paid
- District 1 is where everyone stays and it is fine, but the food gets better and cheaper the further out you go. District 3 and District 5 are worth the taxi.
- Grab is cheaper and less argumentative than flagging a taxi. Use the app rather than negotiating on the street.
How to spend less
- Drink ca phe sua da (iced milk coffee) from a street stall for 15,000-20,000 VND instead of a cafe's 50,000+ VND version
- Eat at com tam and pho stalls where locals queue, not the ones with English menus and photos out front
- Use Grab, not street-hailed taxis outside tourist zones, to avoid the meter-tampering scams a few operators still run
- Buy the Metro Line 1 day pass (40,000 VND) if you're making more than two trips out toward Thao Dien or Suoi Tien
- Skip bottled water markups near attractions, convenience stores (Circle K, GS25) sell it for a third of the price