Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $2,500 in Geraldton, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
120

Cost of Living Index in Geraldton
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Geraldton Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Geraldton

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,500

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $2,500 in Geraldton, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Geraldton $2,500

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $3,591 in Geraldton, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Geraldton $3,591

A family of three spends $1,958 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $4,681 in Geraldton, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Geraldton $4,681

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 66% cheaper than Geraldton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) sits 36% below the global median, while Geraldton is 85% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$17.72 A$25.50

-88.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$82.1 A$118

-71.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$10.29 A$14.81

-53.74%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$3.92 A$5.65

-52.55%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$2.83 A$4.07

-81.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$2.27 A$3.26

-85.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$7.56 A$10.87

-86.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$7.59 A$10.92

-77.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.56 A$2.25

1.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$2.61 A$3.76

-58.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$2.30 A$3.31

-54.35%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$5.33 A$7.66

-69.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$9.47 A$13.62

30.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$9.19 A$13.23

-61.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$14.39 A$20.70

-26.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$3.92 A$5.64

-24.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$3.10 A$4.47

-59.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$3.32 A$4.77

-51.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$4.74 A$6.82

-72.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$2.71 A$3.90

-56.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$2.43 A$3.50

-53.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$2.39 A$3.44

-69.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$1.47 A$2.11

-61.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$41.37 A$59.5

-96.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$14.04 A$20.21

-11.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$4.55 A$6.55

-78.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$5.07 A$7.29

-70.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$2.90 A$4.17

-91.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$80.8 A$116

-85.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$3.53 A$5.09

-80.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$1.56 A$2.24

-60.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$39.28 A$56.5

-92.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.34 A$1.93

-32.09%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$27.0K A$38.9K

13.13%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$30.1K A$43.3K

-2.47%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$199 A$287

-47.92%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$28.00 A$40.29

-79.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$57.2 A$82.3

-81.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$56.3 A$80.9

-53.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$17.55 A$25.25

-32.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$14.49 A$20.85

-73.15%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$2,108 A$3,033

-79.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$20.6K A$29.7K

16.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$78.3 A$113

-34.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$54.1 A$77.8

-34.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$109 A$156

-15.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$124 A$178

-21.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$1,357 A$1,953

-57.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$1,203 A$1,732

-75.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$2,151 A$3,096

-39.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$1,773 A$2,551

-58.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$5,735 A$8,253

-16.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$4,836 A$6,959

-61.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.84

47.95%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Last update for Geraldton: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Geraldton

$1.2K 48.1% 306% $907

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Geraldton

$366 14.7% 76.3% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Geraldton

$164 6.6% 32.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Geraldton

$284 11.4% 137% $164

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Geraldton

$293 11.7% 356% $229

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Geraldton

$85 3.4% 152% $51

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Geraldton

$104 4.2% 538% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,357 in Geraldton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $82.0 in Geraldton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $366 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Geraldton

🕒 Local time

02:39 2:39 AM

03:39 3:39 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

32,717

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Geraldton 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Geraldton

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 Geraldton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $2,500 in Geraldton – roughly 190% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,294 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $3,750 in Geraldton. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $2,500 in Geraldton. That's a gap of about 190%.

Public transport costs about 607% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $862, than in Geraldton at $2,500. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Geraldton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to $2,500 in Geraldton. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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