City comparison
Cost of living in San Francisco vs Ho Chi Minh City
One person needs about €3,942 a month in San Francisco and €799 in Ho Chi Minh City, rent included — Ho Chi Minh City is 80% 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 Ho Chi Minh City the way you live in San Francisco on €3,000, you need
€608/ month net
80% less than today (-€2,392)
- San Francisco today
- Basket €3,942 · left over -€942 (-31%)
- Ho Chi Minh City at the matched salary
- Basket €799 · left over -€191 (-31%)
Local pay context: average tech net pay covers the basket 163% over in Ho Chi Minh City (adequate) vs 241% in San Francisco. Purchasing power index · How we calculate this
🇺🇸 San Francisco
The highest pay on the planet for engineers, and the rent to prove it.
Monthly budget: €3,942
Sources: Eurostat, Harmonised price indices (2025) · 0 community reports
🇻🇳 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
Should you move to San Francisco or Ho Chi Minh City?
On salary, San Francisco pays more for tech roles (€9,500 versus €1,300 a month), so the money left over after costs is €5,558 in San Francisco at the top end.
Rent drives most of the gap: €2,900 in San Francisco against €480 in Ho Chi Minh City. Groceries, transport and utilities move far less between the two.
For remote workers, the nomad index scores San Francisco at 62 and Ho Chi Minh City at 77 — see the full nomad index and our data methodology.