Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Makassar: $641 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Makassar
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Makassar Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Makassar

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $641 in Makassar.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Makassar $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $985 in Makassar.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Makassar $985

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,328 in Makassar.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Makassar $1,328

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 34% more expensive than in Makassar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Makassar 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.72 Rp 31.0K

11.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$8.88 Rp 159.8K

157.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.15 Rp 56.7K

44.13%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.92 Rp 34.5K

-3.65%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.50 Rp 9,030

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.36 Rp 6,497

-11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$2.49 Rp 44.8K

-57.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.30 Rp 59.4K

-47.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.59 Rp 28.6K

4.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.98 Rp 17.7K

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

61.29%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.50 Rp 27.0K

11.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$6.29 Rp 113.3K

92.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.44 Rp 61.9K

6.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$5.24 Rp 94.3K

95.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.35 Rp 42.3K

25.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

-8.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.90 Rp 34.3K

-17.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.86 Rp 33.4K

-30.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.25 Rp 22.6K

-1.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.57 Rp 28.2K

-26.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.73 Rp 13.2K

1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.42 Rp 7,526

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.63 Rp 47.4K

-52.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$22.11 Rp 398.0K

-43.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.81 Rp 32.7K

-46.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.00 Rp 54.0K

-49.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.27 Rp 4,854

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$4.30 Rp 77.5K

167.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.49 Rp 8,781

53.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.35 Rp 6,271

91.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.66 Rp 47.9K

13.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.74 Rp 13.3K

29.73%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$23.9K Rp 430.8M

29.81%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$30.9K Rp 557.0M

-1.89%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$89.0 Rp 1.6M

14.64%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$2.71 Rp 48.7K

117.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$24.90 Rp 448.1K

-57.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$21.47 Rp 386.5K

18.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$8.40 Rp 151.1K

41.90%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$3.36 Rp 60.5K

5.06%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$93.5 Rp 1.7M

366.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$3,746 Rp 67.4M

521.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$26.95 Rp 485.2K

95.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$23.52 Rp 423.3K

45.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$75.3 Rp 1.4M

19.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$40.00 Rp 720.0K

137.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$232 Rp 4.2M

154.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$148 Rp 2.7M

101.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$546 Rp 9.8M

136.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$360 Rp 6.5M

97.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,159 Rp 20.9M

303.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$803 Rp 14.5M

137.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$214 Rp 3.8M

129.01%

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 Makassar: 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%

Makassar

$148 23.1% 50.3% $150

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Makassar

$197 30.7% 5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Makassar

$75 11.6% 39.1% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Makassar

$117 18.2% 1.5% $1.8

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Makassar

$69 10.7% 8.2% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Makassar

$28 4.4% 13.5% $4.4

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Makassar

$7.6 1.2% 54.3% $9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $232 in Makassar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 129% 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 $9.00 in Makassar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $197 per month, with Makassar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Makassar

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,427,619

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,238 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Makassar 2,260 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Makassar

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 Makassar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Makassar wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Makassar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 129% 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 $232 in Makassar. 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 $641 in Makassar – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Makassar runs roughly 168% 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 $641 in Makassar versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Makassar but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Makassar the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Makassar delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Makassar hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Makassar 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 Makassar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.