Which place is cheaper, Puerto Montt or Ho Chi Minh City?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Ho Chi Minh City or Puerto Montt?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Ho Chi Minh City and Puerto Montt can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Ho Chi Minh City or Puerto Montt?
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, is the largest city in Vietnam. It previously served as the capital of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The metropolitan area, including Ho Chi Minh City, Thu Dau Mot, Di An, Bien Hoa, and other surrounding towns, has a population of more than 9 million people and continues to grow.
Puerto Montt
The Lake District is a region of snow capped volcanoes, pale green lakes and endless miles of virgin and ancient forests. Found 1,016 km away from Santiago de Chile, Puerto Montt is famous for its beautiful lakes and its germanic architecture, old wooden houses and its legendary Iglesia Catedral, found on the town's main square, la Plaza de Armas. The monument, entirely built with alerce (cypress) wood, is the oldest building of the city. The capital of the Lake Region is a good starting point for many memorable excursions in the area.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best 2-Week Tours from Ho Chi Minh City, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Vietnam, The Best Tours for Seniors to Chile, and The Best G Adventures Tours to Chile.
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Ho Chi Minh City Prices
Vietnam PricesPuerto Montt Prices
Chile Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayHo Chi Minh City $87Puerto Montt $104
The average daily cost (per person) in Ho Chi Minh City is $87, while the average daily cost in Puerto Montt is $104. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Ho Chi Minh City and Puerto Montt in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHo Chi Minh City $48Puerto Montt $61
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHo Chi Minh City $96Puerto Montt $122
Compare Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and Puerto Montt
Looking for a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City or Puerto Montt? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Ho Chi Minh City Hotel Prices and Puerto Montt Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Ho Chi Minh City $14Puerto Montt $6.42
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
Here are some examples of typical transportation prices from actual travelers in Ho Chi Minh City:
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Short Taxi Ride$1.33
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Taxi From Airport$7.58
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Cyclo Ride (One Hour)$1.52
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Ho Chi Minh City
Also for Ho Chi Minh City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Vietnam Fast Track + Private Transfer : $8.23
- Mui Ne Beach: Bus transfer from/to Saigon City: $8.67
- Transfer from Ho Chi Minh to Phan Thiet or Mui Ne, Japan Quality: $8.93
- Private transfer Tan Son Nhat airport - Hotels in Ho Chi Minh : $12
- Ho Chi Minh City airport transfer: $13
- Ho Chi Minh Airport Arrival Or Departure By Private Car Transfers: $13
- Ho Chi Minh Airport Arrival Or Departure Private Car Transfers: $15
- Private Departure Transfer: Ho Chi Minh City Hotels to Tan Son Nhat Airport: $15
- Private Arrival Transfer: Tan Son Nhat Airport to Ho Chi Minh City Hotels: $15
- Private Transfer From Saigon Center To Tan Son Nhat Airport (SGN): $16
- Ho Chi Minh Airport (SGN) to Ho Chi Minh hotels Arrival Transfer: $17
- Ho Chi Minh to Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) Departure Transfer: $17
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Puerto Montt
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Puerto Montt:
- Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Castro: $300
- Puerto Montt El Tepual Airport (PMC) to Pucon - Arrival Transfer: $267
- Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas - Round-Trip Transfer: $127
- Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) to Frutillar: Roundtrip Transfer: $93
- Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas - Round-Trip Transfer: $84
- Private Transfer from Puerto Airport (PMC) to Puerto Montt Port: $83
- Private Transfer from Puerto Montt Port to Puerto Airport (PMC): $83
- Transfer from Puerto Montt Airport to Frutillar: $80
- Private Transfer from Puerto Airport (PMC) to Puerto Montt Port: $75
- Puerto Montt Airport(PMC) to Frutillar - Arrival Private Transfer: $75
- Puerto Montt Airport (PMC) to Puerto Varas City- Arrival Transfer: $63
- Puerto Montt - Puerto Varas Airport English private transfer: $50
Is it cheaper to fly into Ho Chi Minh City or Puerto Montt?
Prices for flights to both Puerto Montt and Ho Chi Minh City change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayHo Chi Minh City $23Puerto Montt $37
Typical Food Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Ho Chi Minh City:
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Street Food Dinner (for Two)$4.06
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Pizza$4.93
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Sweet Rice$1.14
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Pork Sandwich$0.57
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$6.43
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Western Lunch (for Two)$11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Ho Chi Minh City
For Ho Chi Minh City, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- 1 hour Egg Coffee Cooking Class with Snack and Local Instructor : $12
- Vietnamese Cooking and Craft Workshop by the Lake: $12
- Saigon Food Tour & Culture Explore Ho Chi Minh City Walking Tour: $15
- Mekong Delta 4 Islands, TukTuk, Boat, Try Khot Cake Local Cooking: $20
- Saigon Street Food Tour with Local Guide: $25
- Ho Chi Minh City Street Food Tour On American Jeep/ Motorbike: $25
- Committed Non-Touristy Saigon Street Food Tour By Scooters/Car : $25
- HO CHI MINH Street Food Tour and Vietnamese Coffee: $25
- Street Food Tour In Ho Chi Minh City By Motorbike: $26
- Ho Chi Minh Scooter Adventure - City Sights & Street Food Tour: $27
- Ho Chi Minh City Street Food Tour With Students: $27
- Saigon - Tasty Food Tour By Scooters: $28
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Ho Chi Minh City $19Puerto Montt $14
Typical Entertainment Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
For Ho Chi Minh City, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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Massage$5.31
Tours and Activities in Ho Chi Minh City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Ho Chi Minh City.
- Chinatown Hidden Treasures – Free Walking Tour: $0.74
- All In One Saigon Walking Tour: $3.11
- Saigon Local Sightseeing Free Walking Tour: $3.84
- Ho Chi Minh Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $4.49
- Walking Tour: $5.00
- Ho Chi Minh city private tour guide: $5.00
- Free Walking Tour: Saigon's Sword and Shield: $5.00
- Essential Ho Chi Minh City Free Walking Tour: All Must-see: $5.00
- Essential Saigon Free Walking Tour: All Must-see: $5.00
- Night Bus Tour in Ho Chi Minh City: $7.50
- Ho Chi Minh City Tour and Independence Palace Ticket 2 in 1: $8.46
- Private Ho Chi Minh 30 minutes Experience by Electric Cart: $9.71
Tours and Activities in Puerto Montt
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Puerto Montt are as follows:
- 6 Hours Shared Tour in Calbuco and Millennial Forest from Hotel: $190
- Alerce Andino National Park/Alerce Millenario/Cruises: $105
- Chiloé Island Full Day Experience Castro, Ancud, Dalcahue & Lunch: $189
- Cruise Shore Private Excursion Osorno Volcano & Petrohué Falls: $256
- Explore Peulla Full Day Tour from Puerto Montt : $64
- Osorno Volcano and National Park Shore Tour for Cruisers : $90
- Petrohué Falls Osorno Volcano Pto Varas Sightseeing Driver Only: $130
- Private Day tour Petrohue Falls, Osorno Volcano & Puerto Varas: $250
- Private Shore Excursion Tour to Puerto Montt, Puerto Varas and Frutillar: $287
- Private Tour of Puerto Montt with Stops : $38
- Half day Llanquihue and Frutillar City tour : $44
- Osorno Volcano Tour Shore Tour in Private: $660
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHo Chi Minh City $7.57Puerto Montt $4.49
Typical Alcohol Prices in Ho Chi Minh City
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Ho Chi Minh City:
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Beer$0.38
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Ho Chi Minh City and Puerto Montt, we can see that Puerto Montt is more expensive. And not only is Ho Chi Minh City much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Ho Chi Minh City is in Asia and Puerto Montt is in South America, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Ho Chi Minh City would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Ho Chi Minh City and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Puerto Montt would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Puerto Montt than you might in Ho Chi Minh City.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Ho Chi Minh City Expensive? and Is Puerto Montt Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Ho Chi Minh City or Puerto Montt?
Ho Chi Minh City has a larger population, and is about 20 times larger than the population of Puerto Montt. When comparing the sizes of Ho Chi Minh City and Puerto Montt, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.