Ho Chi Minh City Budget per Day
How much per day in Ho Chi Minh City? For one traveller in 2026, about $20 to $29 on a backpacker budget. Mid-range runs $54 to $82, comfort from $197. We built each figure line by line from prices checked in September 2026. Then we show where money leaks, and where a tour with us fits.
- Backpacker: about $20 to $29 a day, hostel bed included.
- Mid-range: about $54 to $82, with a 3-star room.
- Comfort: from about $197, rooms $120 to $350.
- Street dishes cost 25,000 to 80,000 VND, about $1 to $3.
- Our City, Night and Street Food tours cost $37 to $57.
How much per day in Ho Chi Minh City? Three budgets
Figures are per person per day, before flights and visa. The room line is a full room: if two of you share it, halve it.
| Line | Backpacker | Mid-range | Comfort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed | Hostel bed, about $10 | 3-star room, $25 to $40 | Luxury room, $120 to $350 |
| Food | Street stalls, $6 to $11 | Bib Gourmand lunch, street dinner, $15 to $25 | Dinner cruise, $28 to $67 |
| Getting around | Two GrabBike rides, $2 | Four GrabBike rides, $3 to $5 | Four GrabCar rides, $12 to $14 |
| Sights | War Remnants Museum, $2 | Palace and museum, $5 | Plus Landmark 81, $16 to $24 |
| Drinks | Two street beers, $2 to $4 | Two rooftop drinks, $6 to $8 | Two cocktails, $22 to $27 |
| Total | $20 to $29 | $54 to $82 | $197 to $482 |
Every line comes from the prices in the sections below. We convert at 25,936 VND to the dollar, the rate on 28 September 2026, and round to the dollar.
I count the tours apart from the food when I plan a day of spending. Street dishes run 25,000 to 80,000 VND, and that line rarely breaks the budget.
Where you sleep: the line that moves the most
The room decides your total more than anything else, and the area matters as much as the stars. 2026 bands per night:
| Area | Price per night | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien | Hostel beds about $10 | Backpackers, not families |
| District 3 | 3 and 4-star $18 to $40 | Value, 15 min walk to District 1 |
| Ben Thanh | 3-star $25 to $35, 4-star $55 to $70 | Central, mid budget |
| Thao Dien | $19 to $108 | Families, quieter nights |
| Luxury, citywide | $120 to $350 | The comfort budget |
October is the cheapest month; December to March is peak season. Our guide to where to stay goes area by area.
Eating: from a 25,000 VND banh mi to a Michelin table
Food is where Saigon is kindest to a budget. Most street dishes cost 25,000 to 80,000 VND, about $1 to $3.
A street-food day, priced
| When | What | Price (VND) |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Banh mi at Banh Mi Bay Ho, or pho at Pho Minh | 25,000 to 35,000, or about 60,000 |
| Coffee | Ca phe sua da from a cart | 15,000 to 25,000 |
| Lunch | Bun thit nuong at Chi Tuyen, or com tam at Ba Ghien | 60,000, or 88,000 to 150,000 |
| Dinner | A full street-food evening | 180,000 to 350,000 |
A chain coffee costs 40,000 to 55,000, which tells you where to drink it. Our street food guide lists 25 dishes and where locals eat them.
A Michelin meal, by the guide's price band
- On a budget: 19 of the 25 Bib Gourmand addresses. Pho Le, old District 5, charges 80,000 to 100,000 VND a bowl.
- A moderate spend: Oc Oanh, a Selected snail house on Vinh Khanh, runs 200,000 to 400,000 per person. Anan Saigon, one of six starred tables, sits here too.
- Special occasion and Spare no expense: the other five starred tables. We have not checked their menus: ask when you book.
The full list is on our Michelin Guide page.
Getting around: Grab, bus, metro and your feet
Short rides are cheap. A 2 to 3 km GrabBike costs 20,000 to 30,000 VND, about $1.
- GrabCar: 27,000 to 32,000 to start, then 9,000 to 12,000 a km. Fares rise 1.3 to 1.8 times in rain and rush hour.
- Metro Line 1: 7,000 to 20,000 VND a ride, 40,000 for a day pass.
- Bus 109 from the airport: 15,000 VND, under $1, to Ben Thanh and Pham Ngu Lao.
- Street moto-taxis (xe om): unmetered. We use GrabBike, priced in the app.
From the airport to District 1, a GrabCar costs 110,000 to 250,000 VND, about $4 to $10. The sources we checked disagree on this fare, so read the price in the app before you confirm.
Renting a scooter needs an International Driving Permit, your home licence and insurance. Four GrabBike rides cost 80,000 to 120,000 VND, and the driver knows the one-way streets.
Sights and tickets: many are free
Many of the best stops cost nothing. The paid ones are cheap, apart from the towers.
| Place | Adult (VND) | Child |
|---|---|---|
| War Remnants Museum | 40,000 (about $2) | 20,000, ages 6 to 16 |
| Independence Palace | 40,000, or 80,000 with the exhibition | 10,000 or 20,000 |
| Fine Arts Museum | 30,000 | 15,000 |
| Bitexco Skydeck | 240,000 (about $9) | 160,000 |
| Landmark 81 SkyView | 300,000 weekdays, 500,000 weekends | 150,000 or 250,000 |
| Post Office, Nguyen Hue, Thien Hau Temple | Free | Free |
Visit Landmark 81 on a weekday. For Bitexco, EON Heli Bar three floors above the deck gives the same view for a beer at about 90,000.
A drink and a night out
A night out costs what you choose. The ladder, from a plastic stool to a rooftop:
- 120,000
Beer on the street
20,000 to 40,000 VND a glass on Vinh Khanh, 20,000 to 50,000 on Bui Vien.
- 288,000
Rooftop happy hour
Chill Skybar, 5:30 to 9 PM: cocktails at 88,000, plus 5% service and 10% VAT.
- 3280,000
Cocktails with a view
Social Club: 280,000 to 350,000, half price from 3 to 7 PM.
- 4550,000
A dinner cruise
Typically 550,000 to 1,500,000 VND on the river.
Our night guide covers what closes when.
The invisible line that breaks a budget
Most overspending does not come from food. It comes from fees, markups and traps.
Cash and cards. ATM fees run from zero at Eximbank to 66,000 VND at Vietcombank, for 2 to 5 million per withdrawal. If the screen offers to convert into your currency, decline. Markets and stalls take cash; malls take cards.
Tips. Not compulsory. Usual amounts: 5 to 10% in restaurants without a service charge, 100,000 to 200,000 VND for a day-tour guide.
What a day with us costs, and what it replaces
Our City, Night and Street Food tours cost $37 to $57 per person. No deposit, pay on the day, free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
| Tour | Price | Included | Replaces |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Tour, 4 h | $45 | Palace and War Remnants tickets, pickup | 80,000 VND of tickets, rides between eight landmarks |
| Street Food Tour, 4 h | $57 | 10+ tastings, helmet, transfers | A 180,000 to 350,000 VND dinner, rides to five districts |
| Night Tour, 3 h | $37 | Eight stops from 6:30 PM | A night out; a dinner cruise costs $21 to $58 |
To be clear: on a comfort budget, the room is the biggest line, not the tour. On a mid-range budget, the tour is the biggest single line, but it absorbs dinner or tickets plus transport. And one hostess-bar bill costs more than five Street Food Tours.
The City Tour starts at 8:30 AM or 1:30 PM, the Street Food Tour at 5:30 PM. Your guide is a local woman who drives; you ride behind her.
A three-day budget, worked out
One mid-range traveller, three nights at $25 to $40, two tours. For the length of your stay, see how many days to plan.
| Day | Plan | Day total |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Airport GrabCar, City Tour at 1:30 PM, two rooftop drinks | $97 to $130 |
| Day 2 | Fine Arts Museum, Ben Thanh, Street Food Tour instead of dinner | $93 to $112 |
| Day 3 | GrabBike to Cholon, free temple and market, Vinh Khanh dinner | $45 to $70 |
Questions we get on the bike
About $20 to $29: a hostel bed around $10, street food, two GrabBike rides, one museum and two beers.
About $54 to $82 per person, with a 3-star room counted in full. Sharing a room lowers it.
Yes, for street food and markets. Malls take cards. ATM fees run from zero to 66,000 VND per withdrawal.
Our City, Night and Street Food tours cost $37 to $57 per person, with tickets or food included on two of them. A tip is optional.
About $235 to $312 per person, mid-range, with two tours.
A GrabCar costs 110,000 to 250,000 VND depending on time and traffic. Bus 109 costs 15,000 VND.
Clara grew up just outside Saigon and moved to the city five years ago to study. She has been riding its streets ever since. Most evenings you’ll find her leading our night rides, usually with a bowl of snails waiting at the end. Everything in this guide is what she tells her own guests before the first stop.
Put one good day in your budget
Free hotel pickup in Districts 1, 2 and 3, and your guide drives. No deposit, pay on the day, free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
