City comparison
Cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City vs Chiang Mai
One person needs about €799 a month in Ho Chi Minh City and €705 in Chiang Mai, rent included — Chiang Mai is 12% cheaper overall.
Salary you'd need to keep the same lifestyle
Enter your current net monthly pay. We scale it by the full cost basket — rent, groceries, transport, utilities, eating out and internet.
To live in Chiang Mai the way you live in Ho Chi Minh City on €3,000, you need
€2,647/ month net
12% less than today (-€353)
- Ho Chi Minh City today
- Basket €799 · left over €2,201 (73%)
- Chiang Mai at the matched salary
- Basket €705 · left over €1,942 (73%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 170% over in Chiang Mai (comfortable) vs 163% in Ho Chi Minh City. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City
Very low burn rate and a fast-growing dev scene; visas need planning.
Monthly budget: €799
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
The classic low-burn base — unbeatable food costs, with a smoky burning season each spring.
Monthly budget: €705
Sources: Thailand NSO + Bank of Thailand, CPI & provincial wage survey (2025) · 209 community reports
Should you move to Ho Chi Minh City or Chiang Mai?
On salary, Ho Chi Minh City pays more for tech roles (€1,300 versus €1,200 a month), so the money left over after costs is €501 in Ho Chi Minh City at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €480 in Ho Chi Minh City against €380 in Chiang Mai. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores Ho Chi Minh City at 77 and Chiang Mai at 78 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.