Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Gili Air: $812 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Other living expenses 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Gili Air
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Gili Air Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Gili Air

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$812

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $812 in Gili Air, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Gili Air $812

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,337 in Gili Air, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Gili Air $1,337

A family of three spends $1,958 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,861 in Gili Air, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Gili Air $1,861

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 6% more than Gili Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Gili Air are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Gili Air 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$1.84 Rp 33.2K

7.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$19.34 Rp 348.1K

19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

59.20%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.43 Rp 25.7K

30.07%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.87 Rp 15.7K

-41.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.44 Rp 7,928

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.46 Rp 26.2K

-29.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

-29.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.13 Rp 20.4K

39.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.60 Rp 28.7K

-31.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

29.63%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$12.29 Rp 221.3K

0.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.82 Rp 50.7K

26.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$8.56 Rp 154.0K

23.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.49 Rp 44.9K

19.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.14 Rp 20.5K

10.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.68 Rp 30.2K

-3.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-4.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.34 Rp 24.0K

-11.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.71 Rp 30.8K

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.38 Rp 6,869

47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$1.59 Rp 28.7K

-19.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$15.78 Rp 284.0K

-21.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.69 Rp 30.5K

-43.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$2.06 Rp 37.2K

-28.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.18 Rp 3,182

44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$6.64 Rp 119.6K

72.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.38 Rp 6,851

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.34 Rp 6,206

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$5.04 Rp 90.6K

-40.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

28.17%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.0K Rp 342.1M

60.85%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$25.7K Rp 461.8M

14.45%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$64.5 Rp 1.2M

60.96%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$5.21 Rp 93.7K

11.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$14.68 Rp 264.3K

-28.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$32.16 Rp 578.8K

-18.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$10.43 Rp 187.8K

14.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$2.51 Rp 45.1K

54.98%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$336 Rp 6.0M

30.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$3,931 Rp 70.8M

511.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$37.54 Rp 675.7K

35.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$28.70 Rp 516.5K

22.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$63.6 Rp 1.1M

44.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$63.0 Rp 1.1M

53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$543 Rp 9.8M

7.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$331 Rp 6.0M

-10.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$1,705 Rp 30.7M

-23.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$807 Rp 14.5M

-9.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$1,306 Rp 23.5M

266.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,074 Rp 19.3M

72.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 17, 2026

Last update for Gili Air: 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%

Gili Air

$331 40.8% 11.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Gili Air

$205 25.2% 1.3% $2.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Gili Air

$87 10.7% 29.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Gili Air

$84 10.4% 29.7% $36

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Gili Air

$58 7.2% 9.5% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Gili Air

$37 4.6% 9.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Gili Air

$9.5 1.2% 41.9% $6.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $543 in Gili Air. 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 $19.00 in Gili Air. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $205 – making Gili Air the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Gili Air

🕒 Local time

00:15 12:15 AM

01:15 1:15 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,800

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Gili Air 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Gili Air

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 Gili Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,294 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,218 in Gili Air. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gili Air, 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 $812 in Gili Air. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Gili Air. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gili Air, where all-in costs run around $812, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $862. In Gili Air 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 Gili Air – 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 Gili Air. 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.