Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,136 in Cemagi, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Cemagi, Bali
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Cemagi, Bali Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Cemagi, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Cemagi, 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 Cemagi, Bali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,136 in Cemagi, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Cemagi, Bali $1,136

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,946 in Cemagi, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Cemagi, Bali $1,946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,756 in Cemagi, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Cemagi, Bali $2,756

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 25% less than in Cemagi, Bali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Cemagi, Bali 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$2.72 Rp 48.5K

-30.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$29.86 Rp 533.8K

-21.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.63 Rp 82.8K

0.86%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$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 ₫8,857

$0.66 Rp 11.7K

-48.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$2.27 Rp 40.6K

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$3.76 Rp 67.3K

-55.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.50 Rp 26.8K

5.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.12 Rp 37.9K

-50.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.11 Rp 19.8K

-10.81%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.05 Rp 36.6K

-21.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$16.80 Rp 300.3K

-27.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.69 Rp 66.0K

-4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$11.44 Rp 204.4K

-8.74%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.38 Rp 60.4K

-8.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.52 Rp 27.2K

-17.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.25 Rp 40.2K

-30.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.83 Rp 32.6K

-31.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.31 Rp 41.4K

-50.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.95 Rp 17.0K

-24.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.47 Rp 8,485

14.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.15 Rp 38.5K

-43.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$21.48 Rp 384.0K

-42.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$2.17 Rp 38.7K

-54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.89 Rp 51.7K

-48.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.29 Rp 5,240

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$8.93 Rp 159.6K

30.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.52 Rp 9,358

40.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.47 Rp 8,362

36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$2.56 Rp 45.8K

23.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.92 Rp 16.4K

3.26%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$26.6K Rp 475.0M

15.69%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$33.8K Rp 603.3M

-9.38%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$81.2 Rp 1.5M

25.92%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$6.30 Rp 112.7K

-10.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$18.85 Rp 337.0K

-44.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$50.1 Rp 896.1K

-48.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$16.46 Rp 294.2K

-28.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$4.01 Rp 71.7K

-15.46%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$472 Rp 8.4M

-7.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$5,550 Rp 99.2M

319.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$44.23 Rp 790.6K

16.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$33.13 Rp 592.2K

4.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$76.7 Rp 1.4M

19.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$76.3 Rp 1.4M

24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$839 Rp 15.0M

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$502 Rp 9.0M

-41.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$2,655 Rp 47.5M

-51.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$1,287 Rp 23.0M

-44.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,018 Rp 36.1M

133.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,714 Rp 30.6M

9.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

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 Cemagi, Bali: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Cemagi, Bali

$502 43.7% 71.8% $210

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Cemagi, Bali

$275 24% 33.9% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Cemagi, Bali

$104 9% 15.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Cemagi, Bali

$106 9.3% 10.2% $12

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Cemagi, Bali

$89 7.8% 40.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Cemagi, Bali

$58 5.1% 78.2% $26

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Cemagi, Bali

$13 1.1% 22.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $839 in Cemagi, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $30.00 in Cemagi, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $275 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Cemagi, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:54 4:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,824

💱 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 = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,030 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Cemagi, Bali 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cemagi, 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 Cemagi, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cemagi, Bali differ by about 33% in total monthly costs ($855 vs $1,136 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 $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,704 in Cemagi, Bali 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $839 in Cemagi, Bali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $438 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $472 in Cemagi, Bali. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Cemagi, Bali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,136 in Cemagi, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Cemagi, Bali. 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 Cemagi, Bali 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 33% less than in Cemagi, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.