Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $2,511 in Balga, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
124

Cost of Living Index in Balga
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Balga Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Balga

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Balga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,511 in Balga.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Balga $2,511

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,781 in Balga.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Balga $3,781

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $5,052 in Balga.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Balga $5,052

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 66% less than in Balga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below, Balga is 86% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$19.89 A$28.62

-90.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$84.9 A$122

-73.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$10.54 A$15.16

-56.93%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$4.47 A$6.43

-58.61%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$2.83 A$4.08

-80.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$2.21 A$3.18

-85.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$8.33 A$11.98

-87.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$8.48 A$12.21

-79.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.71 A$2.46

-2.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$3.14 A$4.52

-64.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.97 A$2.83

-49.24%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$5.30 A$7.62

-68.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.50 A$13.66

27.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$9.43 A$13.57

-60.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$13.90 A$20.00

-26.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$4.60 A$6.61

-35.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.10 A$4.45

-60.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.42 A$4.92

-54.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$4.99 A$7.18

-73.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.82 A$4.05

-56.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.98 A$2.84

-41.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.25 A$3.23

-67.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.32 A$1.90

-57.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$41.48 A$59.7

-97.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$12.65 A$18.21

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$4.32 A$6.21

-77.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.55 A$5.11

-56.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$2.62 A$3.77

-90.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$73.4 A$106

-84.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$3.57 A$5.14

-78.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$1.43 A$2.06

-53.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$41.05 A$59.1

-92.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.39 A$2.00

-30.94%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$27.0K A$38.8K

15.19%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$29.2K A$42.0K

4.05%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$194 A$279

-47.42%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$32.84 A$47.26

-82.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$62.9 A$90.5

-83.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$63.7 A$91.7

-59.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$17.91 A$25.77

-33.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$17.18 A$24.72

-79.45%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$2,261 A$3,253

-80.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$22.8K A$32.9K

1.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$76.6 A$110

-31.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$64.9 A$93.4

-47.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$121 A$174

-25.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$165 A$237

-42.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$1,321 A$1,901

-55.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$1,147 A$1,650

-74.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$2,150 A$3,094

-39.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$1,981 A$2,851

-64.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$5,585 A$8,037

-16.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$5,491 A$7,902

-65.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$3,320 A$4,778

-85.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.91

46.19%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Balga: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Balga

$1.1K 45.7% 285% $849

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Balga

$366 14.6% 76.7% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Balga

$192 7.7% 56.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Balga

$290 11.5% 145% $171

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Balga

$323 12.9% 409% $260

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Balga

$98 3.9% 201% $65

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Balga

$95 3.8% 469% $78

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,321 in Balga. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Balga pays 578% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $85.0 in Balga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $366 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Balga

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

12,685

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Balga 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Balga

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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Balga differ by about 192% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $2,511 including rent). Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 578% lower in Balga. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,321 in Balga. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $85.0 in Balga. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,511 in Balga – a 192% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,511 in Balga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Balga. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Balga are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 192% less than in Balga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.