Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jerudong: $733 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Jerudong
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Jerudong Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Jerudong

🇧🇳 Brunei

$733

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $733 in Jerudong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Jerudong $733

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,145 in Jerudong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Jerudong $1,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,557 in Jerudong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Jerudong $1,557

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 17% more expensive than in Jerudong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Jerudong 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$3.81 BND 4.88

-50.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$23.83 BND 30.51

-2.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$6.25 BND 8.01

-25.28%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 BND 2.48

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 BND 3.03

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$4.02 BND 5.15

-53.98%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.96 BND 1.23

-41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.53 BND 0.68

-35.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.84 BND 2.36

-14.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.69 BND 2.16

-38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.20 BND 1.53

-17.50%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.08 BND 2.66

-23.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$9.20 BND 11.77

32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.62 BND 5.92

-23.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$10.88 BND 13.93

-4.04%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.05 BND 3.91

1.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.17 BND 2.77

-41.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.94 BND 3.77

-46.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.57 BND 3.29

-50.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.72 BND 2.20

-31.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.07 BND 2.65

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$3.21 BND 4.11

-77.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.92 BND 1.18

-41.30%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.20 BND 29.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.37 BND 4.31

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$15.47 BND 19.81

-92.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$3.86 BND 4.95

-81.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$3.41 BND 4.36

-81.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$11.52 BND 14.75

-72.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.42 BND 0.54

126.19%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$42.9K BND 54.9K

-28.28%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$36.3K BND 46.5K

-15.79%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$61.2 BND 78.4

67.13%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$22.31 BND 28.56

-74.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$65.6 BND 83.9

-83.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$77.7 BND 99.5

-66.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$3.94 BND 5.04

-13.96%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$216 BND 276

103.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$9,845 BND 12.6K

136.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$77.6 BND 99.4

-33.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$92.2 BND 118

-62.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$101 BND 129

-9.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$73.4 BND 94.0

29.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.88

122.68%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Last update for Jerudong: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Jerudong

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Jerudong

$218 29.8% 6% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Jerudong

$155 21.2% 26.3% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Jerudong

$149 20.4% 25.8% $31

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Jerudong

$104 14.2% 63.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Jerudong

$86 11.7% 162% $53

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Jerudong

$21 * 2.9% 25.1% $4.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24.00 in Jerudong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $218 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇧🇳 Jerudong

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

22:21 10:21 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

11,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Jerudong 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Jerudong

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 Jerudong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jerudong differ by about 17% in total monthly costs ($855 vs $733 including rent). Jerudong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,099 in Jerudong 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.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $733 in Jerudong – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $733 in Jerudong versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jerudong but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jerudong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jerudong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $733 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jerudong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jerudong 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 Jerudong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.