Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,224 in Bali, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Bali
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Bali Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,224

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,224 in Bali, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Bali $1,224

A couple spends around $1,400 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $2,064 in Bali, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Bali $2,064

A family of three spends $1,944 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $2,904 in Bali, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Bali $2,904

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 30% cheaper than Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Bali are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Bali 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$2.74 Rp 49.1K

-30.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$29.64 Rp 530.3K

-21.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$4.74 Rp 84.7K

-1.48%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.22 Rp 39.7K

-16.67%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.37 Rp 24.5K

-59.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$0.66 Rp 11.8K

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$2.21 Rp 39.5K

-54.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$3.62 Rp 64.8K

-53.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.44 Rp 25.8K

9.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-52.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.12 Rp 20.0K

-11.61%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

-18.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$16.41 Rp 293.5K

-25.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.63 Rp 65.0K

-2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$11.53 Rp 206.4K

-9.45%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.37 Rp 60.2K

-8.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.46 Rp 26.0K

-13.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.15 Rp 38.5K

-26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.90 Rp 34.0K

-33.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.24 Rp 40.1K

-48.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

-23.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.48 Rp 8,585

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.14 Rp 38.2K

-42.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$21.94 Rp 392.5K

-44.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

-56.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$2.77 Rp 49.6K

-46.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.26 Rp 4,664

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$8.08 Rp 144.5K

43.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.44 Rp 7,859

65.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.42 Rp 7,497

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$5.66 Rp 101.2K

-43.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.90 Rp 16.0K

5.56%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$24.2K Rp 433.8M

26.79%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$31.5K Rp 563.6M

-2.91%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$80.1 Rp 1.4M

27.80%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$6.63 Rp 118.6K

-14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$18.33 Rp 327.9K

-42.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$45.56 Rp 815.1K

-43.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$15.24 Rp 272.7K

-22.44%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$3.71 Rp 66.4K

-8.63%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$442 Rp 7.9M

-0.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$5,246 Rp 93.8M

344.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$44.18 Rp 790.3K

16.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$34.13 Rp 610.6K

1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$77.2 Rp 1.4M

18.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$75.0 Rp 1.3M

26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$994 Rp 17.8M

-41.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$588 Rp 10.5M

-50.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$3,084 Rp 55.2M

-58.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$1,496 Rp 26.8M

-52.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,383 Rp 42.6M

97.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$2,015 Rp 36.1M

-6.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$223 Rp 4.0M

117.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

13.78

-37.30%

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

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

Last update for Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Bali

$588 48% 101% $296

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Bali

$274 22.4% 33.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Bali

$104 8.5% 15.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Bali

$105 8.6% 11.4% $13

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Bali

$89 7.3% 40.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Bali

$53 4.3% 62.3% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Bali

$12 1% 30.2% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $994 in Bali. 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 118% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $30.00 in Bali. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $274 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Bali

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,011 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,047 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Bali 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Bali

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 Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bali costs about 43% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,283 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,836 in Bali. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $30.00 in Bali. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,224 in Bali. That's a gap of about 43%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $855, than in Bali at $1,224. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs $855 versus $1,224 in Bali. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Bali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.