Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $2,623 in Busselton, rent and utilities included – about $21,200 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
123

Cost of Living Index in Busselton
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Busselton Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Busselton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,623

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,623 in Busselton.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Busselton $2,623

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,698 in Busselton.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Busselton $3,698

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $4,773 in Busselton.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Busselton $4,773

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 67% less than in Busselton, 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, Busselton is 94% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.7K

$17.42 A$24.95

-89.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫592.3K

$84.1 A$120

-72.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.8K

$10.59 A$15.17

-57.13%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.1K

$4.42 A$6.33

-58.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$2.06 A$2.95

-72.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,199

$2.03 A$2.91

-84.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$8.49 A$12.16

-87.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.6K

$8.15 A$11.68

-78.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.72 A$2.46

-3.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$3.11 A$4.45

-64.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫26.0K

$2.04 A$2.92

-50.98%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$5.14 A$7.36

-67.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫313.3K

$9.23 A$13.22

30.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$9.18 A$13.16

-59.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.6K

$13.90 A$19.92

-26.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.7K

$4.57 A$6.54

-35.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.08 A$4.41

-59.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.4K

$3.31 A$4.74

-52.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$4.94 A$7.07

-73.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.90 A$4.15

-57.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.9K

$1.97 A$2.82

-41.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.28 A$3.27

-67.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.37 A$1.96

-59.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$41.72 A$59.8

-97.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.7K

$12.65 A$18.12

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$4.35 A$6.24

-77.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.38 A$4.85

-54.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,706

$2.48 A$3.55

-89.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.4K

$82.6 A$118

-86.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$3.55 A$5.09

-78.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$1.38 A$1.98

-51.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.7K

$41.16 A$59.0

-92.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.40 A$2.01

-31.43%

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

$31.1K ₫805.7M

$27.7K A$39.7K

12.13%

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

$30.4K ₫787.3M

$29.6K A$42.4K

2.48%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$195 A$279

-47.61%

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

$5.89 ₫152.8K

$32.93 A$47.18

-82.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫272.1K

$64.4 A$92.2

-83.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫662.3K

$49.68 A$71.2

-48.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫309.1K

$16.07 A$23.02

-25.82%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.5K

$17.71 A$25.37

-80.07%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$2,274 A$3,258

-80.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.9M

$23.1K A$33.0K

0.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$78.8 A$113

-33.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫885.7K

$64.5 A$92.4

-47.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$120 A$172

-24.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$162 A$232

-41.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$1,247 A$1,786

-52.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$1,288 A$1,846

-76.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$2,204 A$3,158

-41.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$1,776 A$2,544

-59.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.3M

$5,785 A$8,287

-19.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.4M

$4,348 A$6,228

-56.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 Busselton: 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%

Busselton

$1.3K 49.1% 333% $991

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Busselton

$364 13.9% 75.4% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Busselton

$192 7.3% 56.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Busselton

$292 11.1% 147% $174

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Busselton

$299 11.4% 372% $236

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Busselton

$85 3.2% 161% $52

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Busselton

$103 3.9% 518% $86

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,247 in Busselton. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $84.0 in Busselton for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $364 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Busselton

🕒 Local time

04:18 4:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

27,233

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,022 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Busselton 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Busselton

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 Busselton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Busselton differ by about 205% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $2,623 including rent). Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $3,934 in Busselton to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,247 in Busselton. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,274 in Busselton. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Busselton. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,623 in Busselton, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Busselton. 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 Busselton 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 205% less than in Busselton. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.