Which place is cheaper, San Juan 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 San Juan?
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 San Juan can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Ho Chi Minh City or San Juan?
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.
San Juan
If you've ever set foot on a Caribbean cruise, you've probably spent a bit of time in San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, maybe you should consider spending more than just a port day in this beautiful and historically rich city.
As the capital and largest city in all of Puerto Rico, San Juan is home to approximately 400,000 people. Established in 1521, it is also the second oldest European-founded settlement in the Americas.
As this city fuses a historic paradise with modern day energy, it has absolutely everything to offer. Intellectual wanderers, beach bums, rainforest adventurers and radical surfers will all find plenty to do in San Juan.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Historical Tours in Vietnam, and The Best 10-Day Tours in Vietnam.
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Ho Chi Minh City Prices
Vietnam PricesSan Juan Prices
Puerto Rico Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayHo Chi Minh City $87San Juan $218
The average daily cost (per person) in Ho Chi Minh City is $87, while the average daily cost in San Juan is $218. 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 San Juan in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personHo Chi Minh City $48San Juan $124
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomHo Chi Minh City $96San Juan $248
Compare Hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and San Juan
Looking for a hotel in Ho Chi Minh City or San Juan? 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 San Juan Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Ho Chi Minh City $15San Juan $14
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$7.60
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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:
- Private Taxi transfer from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City: $358
- Ho Chi Minh Airport (SGN) to Mui Ne - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $278
- Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang - Private Transfer: $259
- Private Transfer from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) Airport to Phang Rang Thap Cham: $251
- Private Transfer from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) Airport to Ca Mau: $243
- Private Transfer from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) Airport to Ha Tien Pier: $243
- Ho Chi Minh Airport (SGN) to Mui Ne - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $231
- Ho Chi Minh Airport (SGN) to Vung Tau Round-Trip Private Transfer: $217
- Private Transfer from Tan Son Nhat (SGN) Airport to Soc Trang: $211
- Private Car Transfer Phong Nha to Hue (stops at Vinh Moc and DMZ): $200
- Golden Bridge, Marble mount, guide, lunch, transfer from Cruises: $199
- Private Transfer: Ho Chi Minh City Center to Mui Ne: $196
Hired Cars and Shuttles in San Juan
Also for San Juan, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- HandyCap Transfer Airport to Dorado, Rio Grande or Luquillo: $270
- Private Transfer: SJU Airport or Port to Humacao and Nagüabo: $200
- San Juan Airport (SJU) to Ponce hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $198
- Private Transfer from SJU Airport to Humacao Hotels: $180
- Transfer from San Juan to Rincon or Rincon to San Juan: $167
- San Juan Airport (SJU) to Rio Grande hotel – Round-Trip Private Transfer: $163
- Transfer from San Juan to Ponce or Ponce to San Juan: $150
- Transfer SJU Airport to Dorado. Hotels and Airbnb. Vice Versa One Way Trip.: $140
- Private Luxury transfer - SJU, Hotel, Airbnb - Car seat available: $131
- Transfer Ceiba Port Vieques and Culebra to San Juan Area or San Juan to Ceiba Po: $125
- Private Transfer from or to San Juan and Ponce: $125
- San Juan Airport (SJU) to San Juan Port - Round-Trip Private Transfer: $117
Is it cheaper to fly into Ho Chi Minh City or San Juan?
Prices for flights to both San Juan 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 $23San Juan $62
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)$4.07
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Pizza$4.94
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Sweet Rice$1.14
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Pork Sandwich$0.57
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$6.45
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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:
- Ho Chi Minh City Street Food Tour with Local LGBT Student Guide: $1.87
- Ho Chi Minh City Local Street Food Tour With Local Students: $1.87
- Saigon Food Tour & Culture Explore Ho Chi Minh City Walking Tour: $15
- 1 hour Egg Coffee Cooking Class with Snack and Local Instructor: $15
- Mekong Delta 4 Islands, TukTuk, Boat, Try Khot Cake Local Cooking: $16
- HCM:Mekong Delta Boat,Khotcake cooking Coconut Village,SmallGroup: $16
- Cu Chi Tunnels & Countryside Cooking Class with Organic Farm: $20
- Saigon Sightseeing & Street Food Tour By scooter with Student: $20
- Ho Chi Minh City Street Food Tour & Sightseeing By Motorbike: $26
- Ho Chi Minh Street Food Tour and Vietnamese Coffee: $27
- Super Niche Walking Street Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh City: $28
- Authentic Street Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh City: $29
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in San Juan
For San Juan, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Private Puerto Rican Cooking Class in San Juan for Groups: $146
- FlyDining: 4 Course Sunset & City Light Dinner Over Old San Juan: $159
- FlyDining: 4 Courses Dinner with City Lights & Ocean Breeze: $165
- Authentic Flavors of San Juan Food Tour: $170
- Savor the Sunset: Old San Juan Walking Food Tour: $179
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Ho Chi Minh City $19San Juan $49
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$5.32
Tours and Activities in Ho Chi Minh City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Ho Chi Minh City.
- 'Cost-Saving' Cu Chi Tunnels & Mekong Delta 1-Day Tour: $59
- 1 Day Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta Private Adventure: $156
- 1 Day Mekong Delta to Cai Be from Ho Chi Minh City Tour: $45
- 1 Day Private Cai Rang Floating Market and My Tho Boat Tour: $150
- 1 Day Small Group Tour in Cu Chi Tunnels and Mekong Delta: $89
- 1 Hour Saigon River Tour in Ho Chi Minh: $13
- 1-Day City Tour: Saigon Chinatown, Must-See Icons & Cyclo Ride: $128
- 1-day Ho Chi Minh city and Cu Chi tunnels group tour: $46
- 1-day Mekong Delta Tour: Cai Be Market, Local Island and Cycling: $125
- 1-day My Tho boat trip in Mekong Delta group tour from Ho Chi Minh: $34
- 12 Street Food with Seafood on Scooter Tour Ho Chi Minh: $51
- 2 Day Mekong Delta Adventure and Floating Market Tour: $99
Typical Entertainment Prices in San Juan
For San Juan, here are some examples of average entertainment and activity prices from previous travelers:
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Horseback Riding Tour$40
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Full Day Snorkeling Trip$100
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1 Hr Windsurfing Lesson$75
Tours and Activities in San Juan
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for San Juan.
- 1 Hour Bull Maze Adventure at Toroverde Urban Park San Juan: $45
- 1 Hour Historical UTV Tour in San Juan: $200
- 1)El Yunque Rainforest and Famous Luquillo Beach Experience: $96
- 2 Tours in 1 Day: Rainforest Waterslides & Beach Tour w/Transport: $60
- 3 Tours in 1 Day: Old San Juan, Rainforest, Beach with Transport: $65
- ATV Double Rider Adventure Near San Juan - Hacienda Campo Rico: $221
- ATV Single Rider Adventure Near San Juan - Hacienda Campo Rico: $149
- Adventure Water Bike in Condado Lagoon, San Juan: $60
- Bio Bay Magic and Rum Tasting Tour from San Juan: $250
- Bio Bay Night Kayak Tour with Transport from San Juan: $125
- BioBay Kayak Tour with San Juan Roundtrip Transportation: $179
- Bioluminescent Bay Kayak Adventure from San Juan: $110
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayHo Chi Minh City $7.59San Juan $12
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
Sample the Local Flavors in Ho Chi Minh City
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Ho Chi Minh City:
- Make Your Own Gin Experience and Saigon Baigur Distillery Tour: $29
- Bike And Craft Beer Brewery Mekong Delta Cycling Tour: $152
Sample the Local Flavors in San Juan
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in San Juan:
- Old San Juan Bar Crawl: Experience Local Hotspots: $65
- Puerto Rico Tobacco Farm and Local Brewery Tour: $109
- Puerto Rico's First and Only Craft Beer Brewery Tour!: $150
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Ho Chi Minh City and San Juan, we can see that San Juan 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 San Juan is in Caribbean Islands, 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 San Juan would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in San Juan 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 San Juan Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Ho Chi Minh City or San Juan?
Ho Chi Minh City has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of San Juan. When comparing the sizes of Ho Chi Minh City and San Juan, 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.