Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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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
121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,498 in Northam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Northam $2,498

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,618 in Northam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Northam $3,618

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $4,737 in Northam.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Northam $4,737

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 65% less than in Northam, 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, Northam is 84% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.2K

$19.97 A$28.40

-90.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫597.9K

$85.1 A$121

-72.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫122.9K

$10.55 A$15.01

-54.88%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.0K

$4.48 A$6.37

-58.48%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$2.84 A$4.04

-82.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,176

$2.29 A$3.26

-86.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.6K

$8.30 A$11.80

-87.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.3K

$8.10 A$11.52

-78.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.74 A$2.48

-9.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$2.58 A$3.67

-57.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.98 A$2.82

-46.97%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.5K

$4.48 A$6.37

-63.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫318.6K

$6.37 A$9.06

93.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.4K

$9.12 A$12.98

-60.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫272.8K

$14.08 A$20.02

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.8K

$2.73 A$3.88

8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$3.25 A$4.62

-61.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$3.44 A$4.90

-52.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$4.92 A$6.99

-73.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$2.89 A$4.12

-58.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$1.97 A$2.81

-42.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$2.25 A$3.20

-67.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.73 A$1.04

-23.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$41.37 A$58.8

-96.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫321.9K

$3.49 A$4.97

257.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$4.40 A$6.25

-78.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$3.51 A$5.00

-57.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,691

$2.92 A$4.16

-91.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫295.4K

$80.6 A$115

-85.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$3.53 A$5.02

-80.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$1.46 A$2.07

-57.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.5K

$41.14 A$58.5

-92.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.35 A$1.91

-32.59%

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

$30.6K ₫789.9M

$26.9K A$38.2K

13.84%

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

$29.4K ₫758.7M

$29.5K A$41.9K

-0.34%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$196 A$279

-47.01%

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

$5.79 ₫149.6K

$24.09 A$34.27

-75.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫270.8K

$64.3 A$91.5

-83.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫673.8K

$56.5 A$80.3

-53.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫307.6K

$17.81 A$25.33

-33.18%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.5K

$17.30 A$24.61

-77.51%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$2,328 A$3,310

-81.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫621.5M

$23.2K A$33.0K

3.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$77.3 A$110

-34.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫909.0K

$66.3 A$94.3

-46.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$123 A$174

-24.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$161 A$229

-40.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.0M

$1,391 A$1,978

-58.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$1,190 A$1,693

-75.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.5M

$2,173 A$3,091

-40.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$1,783 A$2,536

-59.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.6M

$5,780 A$8,221

-17.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫47.9M

$4,889 A$6,954

-62.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.91

46.19%

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 Northam: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Northam

$1.2K 47.6% 301% $894

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Northam

$314 12.6% 51.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Northam

$192 7.7% 55.5% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Northam

$284 11.4% 137% $164

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Northam

$323 12.9% 403% $259

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Northam

$91 3.7% 169% $57

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Northam

$103 4.1% 534% $87

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,391 in Northam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $85 in Northam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $314 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Northam

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

09:48 9:48 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

6,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 25,840 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,952 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Northam 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Northam

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 Northam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Northam. 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.

You’d need roughly $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $3,747 in Northam 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,391 in Northam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,498 in Northam – a 190% 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 86% less than in Northam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Northam 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 65% less than in Northam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.