Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ha Long and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living costs are similar in Ha Long and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $824 and $862 a month, rent and utilities included.

38

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
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Ha Long Living Index
42

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

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Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$824

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ha Long 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 Ha Long and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $824 per month in Ha Long vs $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ha Long $824
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

A couple spends around $1,329 per month in Ha Long vs $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ha Long $1,329
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

A family of three spends $1,833 per month in Ha Long vs $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Ha Long $1,833
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Ha Long is about 4% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ha Long and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Ha Long 39% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.14 ₫55.3K

$1.98 ₫51.3K

8.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.13 ₫521.2K

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-13.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-1.89%

Cappuccino

$1.95 ₫50.4K

$1.86 ₫48.1K

4.84%

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

$0.57 ₫14.8K

$0.51 ₫13.3K

11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₫8,142

$0.32 ₫8,191

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ₫24.3K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-8.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₫41.3K

$1.71 ₫44.4K

-7.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ₫34.9K

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-14.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.8K

$1.09 ₫28.3K

1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.4K

$1.05 ₫27.2K

0.95%

Eggs

$1.50 ₫38.9K

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.38 ₫346.3K

$12.33 ₫319.2K

8.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ₫88.6K

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 ₫278.1K

$10.56 ₫273.3K

1.70%

Apples (1kg)

$3.20 ₫82.8K

$2.97 ₫76.9K

7.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.92 ₫23.9K

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-26.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 ₫34.7K

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-17.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₫29.9K

$1.31 ₫33.8K

-11.45%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ₫25.0K

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-18.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.14 ₫29.6K

0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₫16.8K

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-10.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.59 ₫41.1K

$1.28 ₫33.0K

24.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.90 ₫334.0K

$12.46 ₫322.5K

3.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₫22.8K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₫47.5K

$1.48 ₫38.3K

24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₫8,510

$0.26 ₫6,704

26.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.99 ₫155.0K

$11.43 ₫296.0K

-47.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.68 ₫17.7K

14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.2K

$0.62 ₫16.1K

8.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 ₫65.5K

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-15.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$0.91 ₫23.5K

2.20%

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

$30.1K ₫779.0M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-1.57%

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

$30.1K ₫779.5M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

2.54%

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

$82.2 ₫2.1M

$104 ₫2.7M

-20.75%

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

$6.52 ₫168.8K

$5.79 ₫149.9K

12.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.49 ₫245.8K

$10.48 ₫271.3K

-9.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.68 ₫664.9K

$26.08 ₫675.1K

-1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 ₫222.7K

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-27.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.48 ₫90.2K

$3.89 ₫100.7K

-10.54%

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

$165 ₫4.3M

$440 ₫11.4M

-62.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.2K ₫342.4M

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-45.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.61 ₫1.0M

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-22.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.96 ₫646.1K

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-29.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 ₫2.3M

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-2.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 ₫2.1M

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$405 ₫10.5M

$582 ₫15.1M

-30.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 ₫7.9M

$297 ₫7.7M

3.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-44.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$698 ₫18.1M

$727 ₫18.8M

-3.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,340 ₫60.6M

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-51.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 ₫29.0M

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-39.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$232 ₫6.0M

$490 ₫12.7M

-52.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

8.64

-4.17%

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

Last update for Ha Long: October 20, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ha Long

$306 37.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 2.9% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Ha Long

$205 24.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 1.2% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ha Long

$105 12.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 17.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ha Long

$98 11.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 22.2% $22

Eating Out

Ha Long

$66 8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 2.4% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ha Long

$33 4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 3.7% $1.2

Getting Around

Ha Long

$11 1.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 42.5% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $405 in Ha Long versus $582 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 111% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), 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 $20.00 in Ha Long versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $208 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:53 5:53 PM

Same time as Ha Long

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

270,054

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ha Long Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Ha Long
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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

Ha Long vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $824 in Ha Long, $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,236 per month in Ha Long and $1,294 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 Ha Long, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Ha Long and $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $824, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $862. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $824 in Ha Long to $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Ha Long. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.