Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Samarinda: $647 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Samarinda
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Samarinda Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Samarinda

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $647 in Samarinda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Samarinda $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,021 in Samarinda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Samarinda $1,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,395 in Samarinda.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Samarinda $1,395

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 33% more expensive than in Samarinda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Samarinda 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

12.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$13.69 Rp 246.4K

66.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.35 Rp 60.2K

35.52%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.53 Rp 27.5K

20.92%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.44 Rp 7,903

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.25 Rp 4,499

28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$2.27 Rp 40.9K

-53.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

-50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

55.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.83 Rp 14.9K

33.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.71 Rp 12.8K

40.85%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.40 Rp 25.3K

19.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$7.21 Rp 129.9K

67.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.61 Rp 65.0K

1.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$10.04 Rp 180.7K

1.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$5.14 Rp 92.4K

-42.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.11 Rp 20.0K

11.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.09 Rp 19.5K

43.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.47 Rp 26.5K

-11.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

-6.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

-34.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.75 Rp 13.6K

-1.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.51 Rp 9,097

9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.08 Rp 37.4K

-40.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$21.04 Rp 378.7K

-40.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.60 Rp 28.8K

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.52 Rp 45.4K

-39.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.30 Rp 5,403

-13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.50 Rp 8,935

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.34 Rp 6,183

97.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.67 Rp 48.0K

13.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

18.52%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$26.8K Rp 482.4M

15.91%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$31.1K Rp 559.1M

-2.27%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$67.2 Rp 1.2M

51.67%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$4.75 Rp 85.5K

24.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$18.78 Rp 338.0K

-44.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$19.72 Rp 354.9K

29.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$8.94 Rp 160.9K

33.33%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$2.75 Rp 49.4K

28.36%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$89.9 Rp 1.6M

385.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,095 Rp 145.7M

187.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$47.77 Rp 859.9K

10.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$32.33 Rp 582.0K

5.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$74.1 Rp 1.3M

28.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$195 Rp 3.5M

201.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$148 Rp 2.7M

101.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$491 Rp 8.8M

163.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$338 Rp 6.1M

110.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,107 Rp 19.9M

322.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$730 Rp 13.1M

160.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$336 Rp 6.0M

45.67%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Samarinda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Samarinda

$148 22.8% 50.4% $150

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Samarinda

$213 32.9% 2.7% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Samarinda

$104 16.1% 15.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Samarinda

$91 14% 23.3% $28

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Samarinda

$63 9.7% 0.7% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Samarinda

$25 3.9% 22.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Samarinda

$3.4 * 0.5% 79.5% $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 $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $195 in Samarinda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 46% 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 $14.00 in Samarinda. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $213, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Samarinda

🕒 Local time

11:55 11:55 AM

12:55 12:55 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

726,223

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Samarinda 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Samarinda

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 Samarinda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samarinda wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Samarinda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $195 in Samarinda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 3% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $647 in Samarinda – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $647 in Samarinda versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Samarinda but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Samarinda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Samarinda delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $647 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Samarinda hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Samarinda 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 Samarinda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.