Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Purwokerto: $497 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Purwokerto
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Purwokerto Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Purwokerto

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$497

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $497 in Purwokerto.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Purwokerto $497

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $824 in Purwokerto.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Purwokerto $824

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,151 in Purwokerto.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Purwokerto $1,151

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 72% more expensive than in Purwokerto, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Purwokerto 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$1.23 Rp 22.2K

55.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫591.8K

$8.31 Rp 150.7K

175.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.0K

$3.23 Rp 58.6K

45.20%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.4K

$1.34 Rp 24.4K

34.33%

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

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.41 Rp 7,357

34.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,802

$0.18 Rp 3,263

88.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$2.20 Rp 39.8K

-53.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$3.01 Rp 54.6K

-42.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.0K

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

56.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$0.79 Rp 14.3K

37.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.2K

$0.81 Rp 14.7K

30.86%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.2K

$1.47 Rp 26.7K

8.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫311.8K

$7.02 Rp 127.3K

72.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.4K

$2.81 Rp 51.0K

30.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.0K

$7.04 Rp 127.7K

47.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$2.21 Rp 40.2K

36.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.09 Rp 19.7K

15.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$1.51 Rp 27.4K

7.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$0.87 Rp 15.9K

45.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.07 Rp 19.4K

10.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.90 Rp 34.5K

-37.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.65 Rp 11.8K

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.2K

$0.34 Rp 6,195

61.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.36 Rp 42.9K

-46.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.5K

$21.23 Rp 385.0K

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.81 Rp 32.9K

-50.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$3.15 Rp 57.1K

-53.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.20 Rp 3,621

40.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫294.7K

$11.72 Rp 212.5K

-2.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$0.52 Rp 9,378

34.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.2K

$0.34 Rp 6,210

85.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.7K

$2.32 Rp 42.1K

33.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

6.74%

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

$30.5K ₫787.4M

$20.9K Rp 378.5M

46.24%

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

$29.7K ₫767.0M

$32.2K Rp 584.6M

-7.78%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$33.11 Rp 600.6K

208.73%

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

$5.65 ₫145.7K

$2.72 Rp 49.4K

107.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.2K

$19.01 Rp 344.7K

-45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.1K

$19.64 Rp 356.2K

-1.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫304.8K

$10.88 Rp 197.3K

8.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.8K

$2.53 Rp 45.9K

51.38%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$92.9 Rp 1.7M

421.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫601.6M

$7,053 Rp 127.9M

230.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.3M

$38.47 Rp 697.8K

35.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫886.3K

$30.86 Rp 559.8K

11.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$72.4 Rp 1.3M

27.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$68.8 Rp 1.2M

36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$140 Rp 2.5M

362.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$69.1 Rp 1.3M

329.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$584 Rp 10.6M

120.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$250 Rp 4.5M

188.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.6M

$1,376 Rp 25.0M

214.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$272 Rp 4.9M

629.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.6M

$117 Rp 2.1M

317.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.45

2.25%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Last update for Purwokerto: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Purwokerto

$69 13.9% 76.7% $228

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Purwokerto

$184 37% 11.8% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Purwokerto

$95 19.1% 22.9% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Purwokerto

$55 11% 53.6% $63

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Purwokerto

$55 11.1% 12.9% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Purwokerto

$25 5% 8.4% $2.3

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Purwokerto

$15 3% 10.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $140 in Purwokerto. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $8 in Purwokerto for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $184 per month, with Purwokerto cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Purwokerto

🕒 Local time

14:10 2:10 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

292,782

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.51 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 18,138 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.51 USD). 1 EUR = 20,252 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Purwokerto 2,040 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Purwokerto

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 Purwokerto: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Purwokerto 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 Purwokerto the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 4.2 times higher, 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $140 in Purwokerto. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $497 in Purwokerto – Purwokerto is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 3% less than in Purwokerto. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Purwokerto gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Purwokerto are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Purwokerto wins on affordability, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.