Nomad city comparison

Ho Chi Minh City vs Medellín$755 vs $1,011/mo — Ho Chi Minh City is 25% cheaper

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam · Southeast Asia · budget · Medellín, Colombia · Latin America · budget

🏆 Ho Chi Minh City wins on price.

Ho Chi Minh City runs about 25% cheaper than Medellín for a long-term nomad month — $755 vs $1,011 once rent, food, coworking, transit, and mobile data are counted.

The single biggest gap is Airbnb rent: Ho Chi Minh City runs $653 versus Medellín's $938 — a 30% difference.

On the ground, the default landing spot in Ho Chi Minh City is District 1 (Bến Nghé / Bến Thành) — tourist-and-business core. In Medellín it's El Poblado (Provenza) — nomad central.

Connectivity: in Ho Chi Minh City, fiber is fast and absurdly cheap (~$8/mo for 100+ Mbps). In Medellín, fiber in Poblado/Laureles is reliable at 200–500 Mbps.

Visas: Ho Chi Minh City — E-visa is now 90 days, multiple-entry — much friendlier than the old 30-day grind. Medellín — Tourist visa gives 90 days, extendable once for another 90 (180 total per year). Worth weighing against the cost gap above.

In short: Ho Chi Minh City suits nomads who like density and chaos, want SE Asia's lowest cost-quality ratio, and don't need beach access from their front door, while Medellín is the wrong call if anyone uncomfortable with visible class divides, or who needs to ignore basic situational awareness — Medellín is much safer than its reputation but isn't risk-free.

Side-by-side

Category	Ho Chi Minh City	Medellín	Δ
Airbnb (monthly)	$653	$938	30%
Long-term lease	$428	$614	30%
Food — local	$249	$279	11%
Food — Western	$565	$600	6%
Coworking (monthly)	$109	$136	20%
Specialty coffee (cup)	$2.00	$2.16	7%
Mobile data / SIM (monthly)	$8.00	$14	43%
Gym — chain (monthly)	$28	$28	≈
Gym — boutique (monthly)	$75	$75	≈
Laundry per load	$1.40	$1.40	≈
Transit pass (monthly)	$15	$36	58%
Tourist visa	$25	—	≈
Nomad visa (year)	—	$200	≈
Chicken breast (100g)	$0.60	$0.70	14%

Ho Chi Minh City

HCMC (Saigon) is a million-scooter, all-hours, espresso-and-pho metropolis where commerce never stops. Gritty and friendly, with the cheapest serious-quality coffee on earth and a startup energy that surprises first-timers.

Visa: E-visa is now 90 days, multiple-entry — much friendlier than the old 30-day grind. Vietnam has no formal nomad visa, so most nomads cycle e-visas or use business invitations from coworking-affiliated agents.
Internet: Fiber is fast and absurdly cheap (~$8/mo for 100+ Mbps). Power is generally stable; 4G/5G works on every street corner.
Neighborhoods: District 1 (Bến Nghé / Bến Thành) · Thảo Điền (District 2) · District 3
Watch out: Sidewalk and street safety. Pedestrians don't have right of way; you have to walk through scooter traffic with steady pace and no panic stops. Watch a local cross once before trying.

Medellín

Medellín is Latin America's nomad darling — perfect spring weather, dense urban energy, and a remote-work scene that exploded after 2021. The cable cars and Metro give you a real city feel for under half what Mexico City costs.

Visa: Tourist visa gives 90 days, extendable once for another 90 (180 total per year). The Type V Digital Nomad Visa runs 2 years and requires ~$684/month income proof — easy bar for most working nomads.
Internet: Fiber in Poblado/Laureles is reliable at 200–500 Mbps. Older buildings can be patchy; new builds are uniformly good.
Neighborhoods: El Poblado (Provenza) · Laureles · Envigado
Watch out: Don't flash phones in unfamiliar areas, especially at night. The 'no dar papaya' rule (don't expose yourself to easy theft) isn't paranoia, it's practical.