Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $3,040 in Perth, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
147

Cost of Living Index in Perth
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Perth Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Perth

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,040 in Perth.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Perth $3,040

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $4,133 in Perth.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Perth $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $5,226 in Perth.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Perth $5,226

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 72% less than in Perth, 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, Perth is 127% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$20.12 A$28.90

-90.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$84.9 A$122

-72.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$10.48 A$15.05

-55.44%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$4.47 A$6.43

-58.61%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$2.85 A$4.09

-80.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$2.19 A$3.15

-84.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$8.20 A$11.78

-87.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$8.19 A$11.77

-79.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.77 A$2.55

-10.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$3.19 A$4.58

-67.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.97 A$2.82

-49.75%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$5.22 A$7.49

-69.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$9.03 A$12.97

35.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$9.11 A$13.08

-61.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$13.83 A$19.86

-24.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.65 A$6.68

-33.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$3.13 A$4.49

-59.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.41 A$4.90

-53.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$4.96 A$7.12

-74.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$2.83 A$4.06

-58.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.94 A$2.79

-40.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$2.26 A$3.24

-68.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.35 A$1.94

-60.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$42.49 A$61.0

-97.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$12.67 A$18.19

-3.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$4.28 A$6.14

-77.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$3.41 A$4.91

-56.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$2.45 A$3.52

-88.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$98.3 A$141

-88.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$3.54 A$5.09

-79.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$1.46 A$2.10

-56.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$40.76 A$58.5

-92.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.35 A$1.94

-29.63%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$27.3K A$39.2K

12.63%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$29.5K A$42.4K

3.65%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$198 A$284

-48.22%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$33.36 A$47.92

-83.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$63.0 A$90.4

-83.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$57.3 A$82.3

-54.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$21.56 A$30.97

-45.18%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$17.16 A$24.64

-80.24%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$2,277 A$3,271

-80.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$22.7K A$32.6K

2.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$76.7 A$110

-32.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$64.2 A$92.2

-46.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$122 A$176

-25.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$165 A$237

-42.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$1,941 A$2,788

-70.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$1,645 A$2,363

-82.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$2,736 A$3,930

-52.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$2,156 A$3,097

-66.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$8,449 A$12.1K

-44.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$6,054 A$8,696

-68.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$4,280 A$6,147

-88.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

5.89

46.69%

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 Perth: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Perth

$1.6K 54.3% 463% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Perth

$364 12% 77.1% $159

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Perth

$193 6.4% 57.2% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Perth

$294 9.7% 148% $175

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Perth

$324 10.7% 410% $260

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Perth

$92 3% 181% $59

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Perth

$119 3.9% 612% $102

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,941 in Perth. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Perth pays 781% 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 $85.0 in Perth for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $364 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇦🇺 Perth

🕒 Local time

17:39 5:39 PM

18:39 6:39 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,043,762

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 AUD = 0.696 USD

1 AUD = 0.621 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,011 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.696 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.621 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Perth 4,850 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Perth

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 Perth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 255% lower than in Perth. 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 781% lower in Perth. 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,941 in Perth. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,040 in Perth – a 255% 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 746% less than in Perth. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,040 in Perth, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Perth. 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 $855 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 Perth 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 255% less than in Perth. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.