Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $948 in Gili Trawangan, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gili Trawangan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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
46

Cost of Living Index in Gili Trawangan
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Gili Trawangan Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Gili Trawangan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $948 in Gili Trawangan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Gili Trawangan $948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,580 in Gili Trawangan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Gili Trawangan $1,580

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,213 in Gili Trawangan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Gili Trawangan $2,213

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 9% less than in Gili Trawangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Gili Trawangan 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.24 Rp 40.3K

-11.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$23.76 Rp 427.7K

-2.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$3.74 Rp 67.4K

27.27%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.83 Rp 32.9K

1.64%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

-53.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.55 Rp 9,840

-41.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.99 Rp 53.8K

-42.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

36.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

-37.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

11.70%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.64 Rp 29.5K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$13.01 Rp 234.2K

-5.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.99 Rp 53.9K

19.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.03 Rp 162.6K

16.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.70 Rp 48.6K

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

8.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.77 Rp 31.9K

-8.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.45 Rp 26.2K

-9.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-13.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

-35.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.74 Rp 13.4K

-1.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.41 Rp 7,341

36.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$1.73 Rp 31.1K

-26.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$17.33 Rp 311.9K

-28.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.75 Rp 31.6K

-45.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$2.22 Rp 40.0K

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.21 Rp 3,778

23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$7.14 Rp 128.5K

60.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.40 Rp 7,268

70.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.37 Rp 6,649

67.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$5.09 Rp 91.6K

-41.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.68 Rp 12.3K

33.82%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$20.6K Rp 370.8M

48.38%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$28.0K Rp 503.7M

4.93%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$69.7 Rp 1.3M

48.92%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$5.49 Rp 98.9K

5.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$15.46 Rp 278.3K

-32.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$39.13 Rp 704.3K

-33.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$12.90 Rp 232.3K

-7.75%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$3.09 Rp 55.6K

25.89%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$347 Rp 6.3M

26.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$4,182 Rp 75.3M

475.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$38.51 Rp 693.1K

32.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$30.37 Rp 546.7K

15.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$66.6 Rp 1.2M

38.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$67.8 Rp 1.2M

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$677 Rp 12.2M

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$419 Rp 7.5M

-29.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$2,150 Rp 38.7M

-39.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$1,042 Rp 18.8M

-30.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$1,665 Rp 30.0M

187.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,371 Rp 24.7M

35.18%

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 Trawangan: October 19, 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 Trawangan

$419 44.2% 41.3% $123

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Gili Trawangan

$219 23.1% 5.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Gili Trawangan

$92 9.7% 26% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Gili Trawangan

$91 9.6% 24.5% $29

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Gili Trawangan

$72 7.6% 12.6% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Gili Trawangan

$45 4.8% 33.8% $11

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Gili Trawangan

$10 1.1% 37.1% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24.00 in Gili Trawangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $219 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Gili Trawangan

🕒 Local time

03:42 3:42 AM

04:42 4:42 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Gili Trawangan 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Gili Trawangan

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 Trawangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,422 in Gili Trawangan 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $677 in Gili Trawangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Gili Trawangan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $24.00 in Gili Trawangan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $948 in Gili Trawangan, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Gili Trawangan. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Gili Trawangan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Gili Trawangan 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 10% less than in Gili Trawangan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.