Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
Learn more

Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Learn more

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bandar Seri Begawan and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,193 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

A family of three spends $2,257 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 39% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 11% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 BND 4.91

$1.90 ₫49.1K

102.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.17 BND 34.78

$23.32 ₫603.5K

16.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 BND 7.84

$4.67 ₫120.9K

31.26%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$1.85 ₫47.9K

109.73%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 BND 1.22

$0.56 ₫14.4K

69.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.34 ₫8,857

55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.58 ₫40.8K

16.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 BND 2.18

$1.04 ₫27.0K

63.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 BND 1.58

$0.99 ₫25.7K

25.25%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.58

$1.60 ₫41.5K

25.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BND 11.85

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 BND 5.63

$3.54 ₫91.7K

24.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.61

$10.44 ₫270.2K

1.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 BND 4.09

$3.09 ₫79.9K

3.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 BND 2.79

$1.26 ₫32.5K

73.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 BND 3.66

$1.57 ₫40.6K

82.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BND 3.31

$1.26 ₫32.5K

105.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 BND 2.24

$1.17 ₫30.4K

49.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.67

$1.15 ₫29.7K

80.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.61 BND 4.62

$0.72 ₫18.7K

401.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$0.54 ₫14.0K

72.22%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.45 BND 19.78

$1.22 ₫31.5K

1166.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$0.28 ₫7,249

192.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$11.62 ₫300.8K

-92.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 BND 4.89

$0.73 ₫18.9K

423.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BND 4.38

$0.64 ₫16.7K

434.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 BND 15.22

$3.17 ₫82.0K

275.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BND 0.50

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-58.95%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$43.7K BND 56.0K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

42.30%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

18.28%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$60.7 BND 77.7

$102 ₫2.6M

-40.71%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.58 BND 27.63

$5.65 ₫146.1K

281.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.8

$10.52 ₫272.2K

521.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.10 BND 57.7

$25.86 ₫669.2K

74.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 BND 8.91

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-41.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 BND 6.84

$3.39 ₫87.8K

57.52%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$214 BND 273

$438 ₫11.3M

-51.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,857 BND 12.6K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-57.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 BND 96.3

$51.5 ₫1.3M

45.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.5 BND 118

$34.56 ₫894.3K

167.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 BND 133

$91.3 ₫2.4M

13.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 BND 93.8

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-22.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 BND 939

$577 ₫14.9M

27.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 BND 601

$292 ₫7.6M

60.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 BND 1,440

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-13.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 BND 885

$717 ₫18.6M

-3.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 BND 3,977

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-34.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 BND 2,942

$1,882 ₫48.7M

22.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 BND 2,247

$486 ₫12.6M

261.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

8.64

-55.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 37.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 5.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 21% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 19.8% $29

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 37.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 41.5% $23

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 33.2% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 261% higher in Bandar Seri Begawan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $206 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

15:57 3:57 PM

1 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Bandar Seri Begawan vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 39%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,789 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 39%.

Public transport costs about 1317% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $855, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,193. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bandar Seri Begawan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.