Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jakarta: $795 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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 Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $795 in Jakarta.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Jakarta $795

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,295 in Jakarta.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Jakarta $1,295

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,794 in Jakarta.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Jakarta $1,794

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 8% more expensive than in Jakarta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Jakarta 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

-30.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.90 Rp 304.2K

35.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.34 Rp 60.1K

35.93%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.99 Rp 35.9K

-7.04%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.45 Rp 8,112

24.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.26 Rp 4,704

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$2.59 Rp 46.5K

-59.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$4.02 Rp 72.4K

-57.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.41 Rp 25.4K

17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

1.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

11.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.78 Rp 32.0K

-6.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.26 Rp 166.6K

30.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

17.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.73 Rp 139.2K

32.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.81 Rp 50.6K

5.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-6.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.61 Rp 47.0K

-40.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

-5.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

-8.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.14 Rp 38.5K

-46.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.95 Rp 17.2K

-22.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.51 Rp 9,231

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.76 Rp 49.7K

-55.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$21.05 Rp 378.9K

-40.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$2.09 Rp 37.6K

-54.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.03 Rp 54.5K

-49.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.29 Rp 5,247

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.58 Rp 208.5K

-0.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.53 Rp 9,581

41.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.32 Rp 5,756

109.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$3.27 Rp 58.8K

-7.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

10.34%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$28.3K Rp 508.6M

9.94%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$33.7K Rp 606.7M

-9.94%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$106 Rp 1.9M

-3.86%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.00 Rp 107.9K

-1.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$18.67 Rp 336.1K

-43.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$25.84 Rp 465.2K

-1.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$14.54 Rp 261.7K

-18.02%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$3.29 Rp 59.2K

7.29%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$150 Rp 2.7M

191.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,322 Rp 149.8M

179.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$57.7 Rp 1.0M

-8.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$28.25 Rp 508.5K

20.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$72.6 Rp 1.3M

24.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$105 Rp 1.9M

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$361 Rp 6.5M

63.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$200 Rp 3.6M

48.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$1,139 Rp 20.5M

13.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$564 Rp 10.2M

25.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,985 Rp 53.7M

56.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,458 Rp 26.3M

30.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$449 Rp 8.1M

8.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

9.46

-8.67%

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 Jakarta: 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%

Jakarta

$200 25.2% 32.8% $98

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Jakarta

$218 27.5% 5.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Jakarta

$118 14.9% 3.3% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Jakarta

$131 16.5% 10.5% $12

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Jakarta

$80 10% 25.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Jakarta

$32 4.1% 0.6% $0.2

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Jakarta

$15 1.9% 10.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $361 in Jakarta. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Jakarta. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $218, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🕒 Local time

00:09 12:09 AM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

11,337,563 Capital

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Jakarta 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Jakarta

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 Jakarta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jakarta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $361 in Jakarta. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $795 in Jakarta – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jakarta runs roughly 1% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $795 in Jakarta versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jakarta but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jakarta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jakarta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $795 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jakarta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jakarta 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 Jakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.