Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $2,351 in Mandurah, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
115

Cost of Living Index in Mandurah
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Mandurah Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Mandurah

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,351 in Mandurah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Mandurah $2,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,455 in Mandurah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Mandurah $3,455

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $4,558 in Mandurah.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Mandurah $4,558

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 63% less than in Mandurah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below, Mandurah is 74% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.7K

$20.01 A$28.66

-90.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫592.3K

$83.0 A$119

-72.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.8K

$10.49 A$15.02

-56.72%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.1K

$4.34 A$6.22

-57.37%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$2.92 A$4.18

-80.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,199

$2.21 A$3.17

-85.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$6.09 A$8.73

-82.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.6K

$8.54 A$12.23

-79.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.77 A$2.53

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.59 A$3.71

-57.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫26.0K

$1.97 A$2.82

-49.24%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$4.81 A$6.89

-65.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫313.3K

$9.39 A$13.45

28.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.4K

$9.42 A$13.50

-60.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.6K

$14.07 A$20.16

-27.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.7K

$3.33 A$4.77

-11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.07 A$4.39

-59.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.4K

$3.47 A$4.97

-55.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$4.90 A$7.02

-73.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.68 A$2.41

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.9K

$0.82 A$1.18

40.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.01 A$2.87

-63.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.38 A$1.98

-59.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$42.22 A$60.5

-97.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.7K

$12.30 A$17.62

2.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$4.35 A$6.24

-77.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$3.52 A$5.04

-56.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,706

$3.75 A$5.37

-93.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.4K

$90.6 A$130

-87.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$3.55 A$5.09

-78.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$1.44 A$2.06

-53.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.7K

$40.41 A$57.9

-92.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.28 A$1.84

-25.00%

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

$31.1K ₫805.7M

$27.5K A$39.4K

13.07%

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

$30.4K ₫787.3M

$29.9K A$42.8K

1.70%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$195 A$279

-47.62%

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

$5.89 ₫152.8K

$20.91 A$29.96

-71.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫272.1K

$61.0 A$87.4

-82.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫662.3K

$33.81 A$48.44

-24.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫309.1K

$10.60 A$15.18

12.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.5K

$8.56 A$12.26

-58.76%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$386 A$552

13.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.9M

$22.8K A$32.7K

1.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$77.5 A$111

-31.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫885.7K

$44.43 A$63.7

-23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$120 A$172

-24.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$75.3 A$108

26.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$1,418 A$2,032

-58.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$1,107 A$1,585

-73.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$2,395 A$3,431

-46.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$1,756 A$2,515

-59.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$4,177 A$5,984

-88.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.7

51.58%

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 Mandurah: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Mandurah

$1.1K 47.1% 272% $809

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Mandurah

$346 14.7% 67.1% $139

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Mandurah

$143 6.1% 16.6% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Mandurah

$277 11.8% 134% $158

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Mandurah

$312 13.3% 391% $248

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Mandurah

$51 2.2% 56.2% $18

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Mandurah

$116 5% 599% $100

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,418 in Mandurah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandurah pays 753% 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 $83.0 in Mandurah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $346 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Mandurah

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

06:20 6:20 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

107,643

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 AUD = 0.698 USD

1 AUD = 0.624 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,022 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.698 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 AUD (1 AUD = 0.624 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Mandurah 4,910 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mandurah

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 Mandurah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 174% lower than in Mandurah. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 753% lower in Mandurah. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,418 in Mandurah. 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 $2,351 in Mandurah – a 174% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 687% less than in Mandurah. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,351 in Mandurah, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Mandurah. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mandurah 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 174% less than in Mandurah. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.