Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Dong: $796 a month against $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $650 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Ha Dong
Learn more

Ha Dong Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$850

/mo nomad

Ha Dong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$796

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $850 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $796 in Ha Dong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850
Ha Dong $796

A couple spends around $1,386 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,289 in Ha Dong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386
Ha Dong $1,289

A family of three spends $1,921 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,783 in Ha Dong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921
Ha Dong $1,783

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 7% more than Ha Dong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Ha Dong are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Ha Dong 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₫54.8K

$2.01 ₫51.8K

5.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.43 ₫603.7K

$22.89 ₫589.6K

2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ₫117.1K

$4.40 ₫113.3K

3.41%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₫45.9K

$1.93 ₫49.7K

-7.77%

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

$0.53 ₫13.6K

$0.52 ₫13.3K

1.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,213

$0.30 ₫7,832

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫27.8K

$1.14 ₫29.4K

-5.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.6K

$1.97 ₫50.8K

-14.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.55 ₫39.9K

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ₫30.6K

$1.00 ₫25.8K

19.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.4K

$0.82 ₫21.1K

25.61%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.46 ₫37.6K

14.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫315.2K

$12.15 ₫313.0K

0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.1K

$3.75 ₫96.6K

-5.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₫264.1K

$9.66 ₫248.8K

6.11%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫80.2K

$3.15 ₫81.1K

-1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$1.02 ₫26.3K

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

$1.36 ₫35.0K

5.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$1.11 ₫28.6K

9.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.9K

$0.95 ₫24.5K

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₫31.0K

$1.15 ₫29.7K

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.55 ₫14.1K

32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.56 ₫14.5K

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.23 ₫31.6K

$1.45 ₫37.4K

-15.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.55 ₫297.6K

$10.54 ₫271.4K

9.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫24.0K

$0.92 ₫23.8K

1.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.0K

$1.65 ₫42.6K

-10.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,233

$0.30 ₫7,834

-6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫299.2K

$6.93 ₫178.6K

67.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.5K

$0.96 ₫24.7K

-20.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫15.8K

$0.55 ₫14.2K

12.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ₫80.3K

$2.27 ₫58.4K

37.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.3K

$0.92 ₫23.8K

-2.17%

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

$30.9K ₫796.1M

$30.8K ₫793.6M

0.32%

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

$29.6K ₫762.3M

$28.8K ₫743.0M

2.59%

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

$99.8 ₫2.6M

$83.8 ₫2.2M

19.15%

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

$5.75 ₫148.1K

$4.87 ₫125.3K

18.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ₫265.0K

$9.00 ₫231.7K

14.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 ₫468.3K

$20.50 ₫528.0K

-11.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.16 ₫313.2K

$8.87 ₫228.5K

37.09%

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 ₫100.4K

$4.61 ₫118.9K

-15.40%

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

$530 ₫13.7M

$245 ₫6.3M

116.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K ₫686.2M

$12.4K ₫320.5M

114.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$44.77 ₫1.2M

17.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 ₫898.5K

$28.15 ₫725.2K

23.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₫2.5M

$84.5 ₫2.2M

12.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₫2.5M

$74.8 ₫1.9M

27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ₫15.9M

$428 ₫11.0M

44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$292 ₫7.5M

1.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 ₫33.8M

$727 ₫18.7M

80.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₫18.2M

$665 ₫17.1M

6.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,430 ₫114.1M

$1,929 ₫49.7M

129.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,011 ₫51.8M

$1,452 ₫37.4M

38.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ₫13.0M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.17

5.75%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 31, 2026

Last update for Ha Dong: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 35%

Ha Dong

$292 36.7% 1.8% $5.4

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$205 24.1%

Ha Dong

$195 24.5% 5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$125 14.7%

Ha Dong

$104 13.1% 16.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$116 13.6%

Ha Dong

$98 12.3% 15.7% $18

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.6%

Ha Dong

$65 8.2% 1.8% $1.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$26 3.1%

Ha Dong

$30 3.7% 14.4% $3.8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Ha Dong

$12 1.5% 28.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $428 in Ha Dong. 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 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $23 in Ha Dong. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $195 in Ha Dong – so Ha Dong wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Ha Dong

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

50,877

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.46 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Ha Dong 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ha Dong

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 Ha Dong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 7% more than Ha Dong, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,275 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,194 in Ha Dong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Dong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $796 in Ha Dong. That makes Ha Dong about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $245 in Ha Dong. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Ha Dong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.