Which place is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Kiev?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Kiev or Ho Chi Minh City?
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 Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City can help you decide which place is right for you.
Where Should I go: Kiev or Ho Chi Minh City?
Kiev
Kiev is the capital city and also the largest city in the Ukraine, with a population of almost 3 million in the metropolitan area. It is situated on the Dnieper River in the north central part of the country and is one of the oldest cities in Eastern Europe, dating back to the fifth century. The people in Kiev are quite friendly and welcoming, and are happy to have you in their city. It can, however, be difficult to communicate and get around if you don't speak at least a little Russian. It is doable with a little sign language and the help of a guide book with translations though.
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.
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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Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayKiev $26Ho Chi Minh City $80
The average daily cost (per person) in Kiev is $26, while the average daily cost in Ho Chi Minh City is $80. 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 Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personKiev $17Ho Chi Minh City $48
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomKiev $34Ho Chi Minh City $96
Compare Hotels in Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City
Looking for a hotel in Kiev or Ho Chi Minh City? 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.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Kiev $1.03Ho Chi Minh City $15
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Kiev
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Kiev:
- Private Transfer Kyiv Boryspil International Airport to Zhytomyr.: $173
- Private Arrival Transfer: Kyiv Boryspil International Airport to Chernihiv city: $147
- Strategic Missile Forces Base: Round-Trip Transfer from Kyiv& Museum Guided Tour: $146
- Luxury Departure Transfer From Kyiv Boryspil International Airport (KBP): $80
- Kiev Arrival Private Transfers from Kiev Boryspil Airport KBP to Kiev City: $67
- Kiev Airport Transfers : Kiev Zhulhany Airport IEV to Kiev City in Luxury Van: $61
- Kiev Departure Private Transfers from Kiev City to Boryspil Airport KBP: $61
- Kiev Arrival Private Transfers from Kiev Boryspil Airport KBP to Kiev City: $61
- Kiev Departure Private Transfers from Kiev City to Kiev Zhulhany Airport IEV: $61
- Kiev Arrival Private Transfers from Kiev Zhulhany Airport IEV to Kiev City: $61
- Kiev Departure Private Transfers from Kiev City to Kiev Zhulhany Airport IEV: $55
- Kiev Airport Transfers : Kiev City to Kiev Zhulhany Airport IEV in Business Car: $55
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$1.38
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Taxi From Airport$7.87
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Cyclo Ride (One Hour)$1.57
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Ho Chi Minh City
Also for Ho Chi Minh City, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Mui Ne Beach: Bus transfer from/to Saigon City: $7.73
- Nha Trang: Bus transfer from/to Saigon City: $11
- Try find better than us! Airport Transfer in Ho Chi Minh APT-HTL (SGN): $13
- Private Arrival Transfer: Tan Son Nhat Airport to Ho Chi Minh City Hotels: $15
- SGN Airport: the private transfer to Center (District 1 & 3): $16
- Ho Chi Minh City Airport Arrival Transfer to Hotel: $16
- Transfer from Ho Chi Minh to Airport Tan Sơn Nhat: $16
- Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) to Ho Chi Minh hotels - Arrival Private Transfer: $16
- Ho Chi Minh to Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SGN) Departure Transfer: $16
- Private Transfer from Cam Ranh Airport to Nha Trang City Center: $17
- Ho Chi Minh Airport Arrival Or Departure Luxury Car Transfers: $18
- Try find your better than us! Airport transfer service in Cam Ranh HTL-APT (CXR): $18
Is it cheaper to fly into Kiev or Ho Chi Minh City?
Prices for flights to both Ho Chi Minh City and Kiev 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 dayKiev $7.25Ho Chi Minh City $14
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Kiev
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Kiev.
- "Kiev Private Food Tour" - Taste the best Ukraine has to offer: $53
- Kyiv Restaurant Food Tour: Ukrainian Cuisine Tasting: $113
- Private Gastro/Food Tour In Kyiv : $144
- Cooking master class: $226
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)$4.21
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Pizza$5.12
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Sweet Rice$1.18
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Pork Sandwich$0.59
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Casual Lunch (for Two)$6.68
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Western Lunch (for Two)$12
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:
- Saigon tour Walking Chinatown or HCM city walking food tour: $19
- Private Walking Food Tour with Local Students : $26
- Saigon: Backstreets Private Walking Food Tour & 10 Tastings: $27
- Food Tour by Scooter with Eleven Tastings: $27
- Super Niche Walking Street Food Tour in Ho Chi Minh City: $28
- Saigon Private Eleven-Tastings Food Tour by Scooter: $28
- Ho Chi Minh Street Food Tour By Motorbike/Car + Sightseeing + Fun: $28
- Private Walking Food Tour with 13 Tastings: $28
- Private Half-Day Ho Chi Minh Food Tour with Local Students: $29
- Mekong Delta Tour 1 Day Cooking Classes Maximum Group 15pax: $29
- Ho Chi Minh City Food Tour With Saigon Vibes: $29
- Private Saigon Street Food Tour On SCOOTER OR WALKING TOUR: $30
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Kiev $2.04Ho Chi Minh City $20
Tours and Activities in Kiev
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Kiev are as follows:
- "Kiev Private Nightlife Tour" - Visit Secret Bars & Party with Locals: $53
- 1- or 3-Hour Private Kyiv Guided Bike Tour: $56
- 2 Hours Private Walking Tour to Kiev Pechersk Lavra : $39
- 2-Day Small-Group Tour to Lviv from Kiev by Intercity Train: $225
- 2-days Group Tour To The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone: $279
- 3-Hour Kiev Private Gastro Tour: $88
- 3-Hour Kiev Street Art Private Tour: $53
- Adventure City Center Tour : $120
- Bohemian Podil Tour: $120
- Chernobyl Exclusion Zone 1-day tour: $98
- Chernobyl Tour with Gift : $107
- Discover Kyiv: The Most Complete 6 Hours Private Sightseeing Tour by car: $162
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$5.51
Tours and Activities in Ho Chi Minh City
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Ho Chi Minh City.
- Ho Chi Minh City Free Walking Tour: $0.80
- Chinatown Walking Tour Ho Chi Minh City: $0.80
- Saigon: Free Food Walking Tour: $2.13
- Saigon: City Sightseeing 45-Minute Panoramic Night Tour: $7.00
- Saigon: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: $7.00
- City Sightseeing Panoramic Bus Tour: $7.00
- Ho Chi Minh Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.73
- Ho Chi Minh Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.88
- 3-Hours Trekking Tour to Hidden Waterfall and Sturgeon Farm: $8.09
- 1 ROUND MIDNIGHT BUS TOUR: $9.00
- Bitexco Financial Tower: Saigon Sky Deck - Fast Track Ticket: $10
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayKiev $6.40Ho Chi Minh City $7.86
Sample the Local Flavors in Kiev
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Kiev:
- Kiev Pub Crawling | Private Beer Tasting Tour: $77
- Speakeasy Bar Crawl: $135
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$0.39
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City, we can see that Ho Chi Minh City is more expensive. And not only is Kiev much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Kiev is in Europe and Ho Chi Minh City is in Asia, 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 Kiev would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Kiev 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 Ho Chi Minh City would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Ho Chi Minh City than you might in Kiev.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Kiev Expensive? and Is Ho Chi Minh City Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Kiev or Ho Chi Minh City?
Ho Chi Minh City has a larger population, and is about 38% larger than the population of Kiev. When comparing the sizes of Kiev and Ho Chi Minh City, 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.