Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Banjarmasin: $584 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Banjarmasin
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Banjarmasin Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Banjarmasin

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$584

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $584 in Banjarmasin, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Banjarmasin $584

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $921 in Banjarmasin, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Banjarmasin $921

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,258 in Banjarmasin, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Banjarmasin $1,258

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 47% more than Banjarmasin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Banjarmasin are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Banjarmasin 57% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.14 Rp 20.6K

67.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$14.15 Rp 254.8K

61.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.28 Rp 59.1K

38.41%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

50.41%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.78 Rp 14.1K

-28.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.35 Rp 6,222

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$4.89 Rp 88.0K

-78.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.51 Rp 63.2K

-51.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.32 Rp 23.7K

25.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

14.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.85 Rp 15.2K

17.65%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.54 Rp 27.7K

8.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$6.69 Rp 120.3K

80.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.12 Rp 38.1K

73.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$3.25 Rp 58.5K

215.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

54.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.12 Rp 20.1K

10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$0.89 Rp 16.0K

75.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.29 Rp 23.2K

0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

-5.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.90 Rp 16.2K

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.40 Rp 7,234

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.93 Rp 34.8K

-35.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$21.41 Rp 385.3K

-41.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

-48.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.12 Rp 56.1K

-50.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.29 Rp 5,217

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$16.77 Rp 301.8K

-31.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.52 Rp 9,283

44.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.37 Rp 6,657

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

15.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.79 Rp 14.2K

21.52%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$24.4K Rp 438.7M

27.46%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$26.7K Rp 479.8M

13.88%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$41.10 Rp 739.8K

148.13%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$2.75 Rp 49.5K

114.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$17.31 Rp 311.5K

-39.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$19.71 Rp 354.7K

29.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.89 Rp 142.0K

51.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.62 Rp 101.1K

-37.19%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$95.9 Rp 1.7M

355.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,380 Rp 150.8M

177.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$42.79 Rp 770.1K

23.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$25.24 Rp 454.4K

35.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$53.7 Rp 965.7K

68.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$32.67 Rp 588.1K

190.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$216 Rp 3.9M

172.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$162 Rp 2.9M

83.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$557 Rp 10.0M

131.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$370 Rp 6.7M

91.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,052 Rp 18.9M

344.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$822 Rp 14.8M

131.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$204 Rp 3.7M

139.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

9.46

-8.67%

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 Banjarmasin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Banjarmasin

$162 27.7% 45.6% $136

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Banjarmasin

$171 29.2% 17.6% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Banjarmasin

$69 11.9% 43.3% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Banjarmasin

$61 10.5% 48.3% $57

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Banjarmasin

$70 11.9% 9.9% $6.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Banjarmasin

$31 5.3% 5.1% $1.7

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Banjarmasin

$20 3.5% 21.9% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $216 in Banjarmasin. 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 140% 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $14.00 in Banjarmasin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $171 – making Banjarmasin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Banjarmasin

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

715,703

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Banjarmasin 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Banjarmasin

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 Banjarmasin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $877 in Banjarmasin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Banjarmasin, 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 $14.00 in Banjarmasin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $584 in Banjarmasin. That's a gap of about 47%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banjarmasin, where all-in costs run around $584, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Banjarmasin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Banjarmasin – 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 Banjarmasin. 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.