Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ha Long: $765 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Ha Long
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Ha Long Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Ha Long

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$765

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $765 in Ha Long, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Ha Long $765

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,225 in Ha Long, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Ha Long $1,225

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,686 in Ha Long, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Ha Long $1,686

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 12% more than Ha Long, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Ha Long are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Ha Long 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.98 ₫51.1K

-3.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.54 ₫505.9K

16.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.34 ₫112.4K

4.61%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.71 ₫44.4K

8.19%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.50 ₫13.0K

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.33 ₫8,601

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.86 ₫22.2K

23.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.41 ₫36.6K

21.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.50 ₫38.7K

10.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.06 ₫27.3K

4.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.01 ₫26.1K

-0.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.48 ₫38.2K

12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$11.36 ₫294.0K

6.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.65 ₫94.4K

0.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.50 ₫246.0K

7.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.07 ₫79.6K

-3.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.07 ₫27.8K

15.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.33 ₫34.5K

17.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.26 ₫32.6K

3.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.06 ₫27.5K

16.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.14 ₫29.6K

0.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.60 ₫15.6K

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ₫14.1K

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.44 ₫37.3K

-13.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$11.89 ₫307.8K

5.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.89 ₫23.0K

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.64 ₫42.5K

-6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.32 ₫8,255

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$6.72 ₫174.0K

71.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.73 ₫19.0K

2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.56 ₫14.5K

19.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.43 ₫62.8K

24.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.89 ₫23.1K

7.87%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$30.4K ₫786.0M

2.33%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$29.5K ₫764.8M

2.76%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$76.4 ₫2.0M

33.57%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$5.69 ₫147.4K

3.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$8.45 ₫218.8K

24.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$22.06 ₫571.2K

15.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.76 ₫200.9K

53.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$3.02 ₫78.3K

16.89%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$161 ₫4.2M

171.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$12.4K ₫322.2M

87.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$45.08 ₫1.2M

17.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$26.39 ₫683.3K

29.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$84.5 ₫2.2M

6.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$77.7 ₫2.0M

22.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$412 ₫10.7M

43.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$274 ₫7.1M

8.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$761 ₫19.7M

69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$605 ₫15.7M

17.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,869 ₫74.3M

62.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,319 ₫34.1M

44.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$231 ₫6.0M

111.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.46

2.13%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Ha Long: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Ha Long

$274 35.8% 8% $24

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Ha Long

$196 25.6% 5.6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Ha Long

$105 13.8% 14.1% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Ha Long

$90 11.8% 23.5% $28

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Ha Long

$60 7.8% 5.7% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ha Long

$28 3.7% 13.8% $4.5

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Ha Long

$12 1.5% 30.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $412 in Ha Long. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 112% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $20.00 in Ha Long. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $196 – making Ha Long the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Ha Long

🕒 Local time

13:25 1:25 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

270,054

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Ha Long 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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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 Long: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $765 in Ha Long – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,147 in Ha Long. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ha Long, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $20.00 in Ha Long. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ha Long, where all-in costs run around $765, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Ha Long it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 $765 in Ha Long to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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 Ha Long. 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.