Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mataram: $608 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Mataram
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Mataram Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Mataram

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $608 in Mataram.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Mataram $608

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $967 in Mataram.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Mataram $967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,327 in Mataram.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Mataram $1,327

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 42% more expensive than in Mataram, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Mataram 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$0.93 Rp 16.8K

112.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$9.22 Rp 166.0K

150.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$3.21 Rp 57.8K

48.29%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

26.53%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.44 Rp 7,889

15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.31 Rp 5,491

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.71 Rp 48.8K

-61.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

-50.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.38 Rp 24.9K

14.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

-25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.80 Rp 14.5K

31.25%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.49 Rp 26.9K

10.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$7.12 Rp 128.2K

73.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$3.00 Rp 54.1K

19.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$7.39 Rp 133.0K

42.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.28 Rp 41.1K

30.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.25 Rp 22.4K

0.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

-4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.29 Rp 23.1K

1.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

-4.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.94 Rp 34.9K

-41.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.73 Rp 13.1K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.40 Rp 7,214

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.63 Rp 47.3K

-51.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$20.99 Rp 377.9K

-40.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.91 Rp 34.4K

-49.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$3.04 Rp 54.7K

-51.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.27 Rp 4,838

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.50 Rp 8,960

36.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.35 Rp 6,222

77.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

10.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.62 Rp 11.2K

46.77%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$23.8K Rp 428.7M

28.35%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$30.6K Rp 551.3M

-4.14%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$66.0 Rp 1.2M

57.32%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$3.96 Rp 71.3K

46.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$19.47 Rp 350.5K

-46.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$19.35 Rp 348.4K

34.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$8.15 Rp 146.8K

46.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$2.85 Rp 51.2K

36.49%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$94.8 Rp 1.7M

364.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,572 Rp 136.3M

217.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$44.19 Rp 795.3K

15.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$28.84 Rp 519.0K

21.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$73.5 Rp 1.3M

25.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$71.4 Rp 1.3M

35.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$225 Rp 4.0M

158.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$133 Rp 2.4M

122.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$530 Rp 9.5M

144.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$356 Rp 6.4M

104.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$1,184 Rp 21.3M

303.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$796 Rp 14.3M

132.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$222 Rp 4.0M

120.55%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Mataram: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Mataram

$133 21.9% 55.1% $164

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Mataram

$201 33.1% 3.1% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Mataram

$98 16.1% 20.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Mataram

$89 14.7% 25.5% $31

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Mataram

$58 9.6% 9.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Mataram

$25 4.1% 26% $8.8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Mataram

$3.3 * 0.5% 79.7% $13

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $225 in Mataram. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 121% 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 Mataram for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $201 per month, with Mataram cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Mataram

🕒 Local time

02:40 2:40 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

402,843

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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) Mataram 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mataram

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 Mataram: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mataram wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mataram the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 121% 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $225 in Mataram. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $608 in Mataram – a 42% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Mataram versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mataram but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mataram the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mataram delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mataram hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mataram 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 Mataram gentler on the wallet – expenses run 42% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.