Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,350 in Brunei, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$855
/mo nomad
🇧🇳 Brunei
$1,350
/mo nomad
🙂 Solo nomad: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 43.2% cheaper than Brunei without rent, and 36.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 39.9% cheaper than Brunei without rent, and 27.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.90 ₫49.1K
$4.94 BND 6.33
-61.54%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.32 ₫603.5K
$36.92 BND 47.26
-36.84%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.67 ₫120.9K
$6.12 BND 7.83
-23.69%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.96 BND 2.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.42 BND 3.09
-
Cappuccino
$1.85 ₫47.9K
$4.15 BND 5.32
-55.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.4K
$1.13 BND 1.44
-50.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.34 ₫8,857
$0.72 BND 0.92
-52.78%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.01 ₫26.2K
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 ₫43.7K
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ₫40.8K
$2.23 BND 2.86
-29.15%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 ₫27.0K
$1.99 BND 2.55
-47.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.99 ₫25.7K
$2.08 BND 2.66
-52.40%
Eggs
$1.60 ₫41.5K
$2.37 BND 3.04
-32.49%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.23 ₫316.6K
$16.59 BND 21.24
-26.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ₫91.7K
$7.20 BND 9.21
-50.83%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.44 ₫270.2K
$17.39 BND 22.26
-39.97%
Apples (1kg)
$3.09 ₫79.9K
$3.93 BND 5.03
-21.37%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$3.83 BND 4.91
-67.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.57 ₫40.6K
$3.56 BND 4.56
-55.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.5K
$4.16 BND 5.33
-69.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.17 ₫30.4K
$2.42 BND 3.10
-51.65%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ₫29.7K
$2.28 BND 2.92
-49.56%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.72 ₫18.7K
$4.49 BND 5.75
-83.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₫14.0K
$1.05 BND 1.34
-48.57%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$15.76 BND 20.18
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$5.09 BND 6.52
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.11 BND 1.42
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.22 ₫31.5K
$11.60 BND 14.85
-89.48%
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
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₫7,249
$0.79 BND 1.01
-64.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.62 ₫300.8K
$0.80 BND 1.02
1352.50%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.73 ₫18.9K
$3.98 BND 5.10
-81.66%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₫16.7K
$3.39 BND 4.34
-81.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.17 ₫82.0K
$11.94 BND 15.29
-73.45%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.95 ₫24.6K
$0.40 BND 0.52
137.50%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K ₫795.6M
$43.0K BND 55.0K
-28.44%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.6K ₫791.6M
$30.0K BND 38.4K
1.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$102 ₫2.6M
$56.9 BND 72.8
79.95%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.65 ₫146.1K
$21.44 BND 27.45
-73.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.52 ₫272.2K
$92.4 BND 118
-88.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.86 ₫669.2K
$50.1 BND 64.2
-48.40%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.82 ₫305.9K
$5.80 BND 7.42
103.79%
Cinema Ticket
$3.39 ₫87.8K
$5.54 BND 7.09
-38.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$438 ₫11.3M
$178 BND 228
145.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$23.3K ₫603.1M
$11.3K BND 14.5K
106.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.5 ₫1.3M
$78.3 BND 100
-34.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.56 ₫894.3K
$85.3 BND 109
-59.50%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.3 ₫2.4M
$114 BND 146
-19.70%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$94.9 ₫2.5M
$99.2 BND 127
-4.31%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$577 ₫14.9M
$737 BND 944
-21.73%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$292 ₫7.6M
$506 BND 648
-42.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,293 ₫33.5M
$1,132 BND 1,449
14.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$717 ₫18.6M
$789 BND 1,010
-9.12%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,714 ₫122.0M
$3,063 BND 3,921
53.90%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,882 ₫48.7M
$2,309 BND 2,956
-18.49%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Brunei
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$486 ₫12.6M
$2,239 BND 2,866
-78.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
3.88
122.68%

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 Brunei: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$292
Brunei
$506 73.4% $214
Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$206
Brunei
$318 54.8% $113
Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$123
Brunei
$169 38.3% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118
Brunei
$171 44.1% $52
Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63
Brunei
$115 81.4% $52
Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33
Brunei
$61 87.5% $29
Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17
Brunei
$25 49% $8.2
Good to know
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇧🇳 Brunei
🕒 Local time
18:58 6:58 PM
19:58 7:58 PM
1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,456,700
458,949
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Brunei 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
  • Brunei

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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