Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $3,454 in Singapore, rent and utilities included – about $31,200 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
168

Cost of Living Index in Singapore
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Singapore Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

$3,454

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $3,454 in Singapore.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Singapore $3,454

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $5,224 in Singapore.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Singapore $5,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $6,994 in Singapore.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Singapore $6,994

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 75% less than in Singapore, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below, Singapore is 158% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$11.53 SGD 14.77

-83.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$71.2 SGD 91.2

-67.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$8.76 SGD 11.22

-46.69%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$5.25 SGD 6.73

-64.76%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.83 SGD 2.34

-69.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$1.25 SGD 1.60

-72.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$8.42 SGD 10.79

-88.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$10.02 SGD 12.83

-83.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$2.94 SGD 3.76

-46.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.47 SGD 3.16

-57.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$2.71 SGD 3.47

-63.47%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$3.73 SGD 4.77

-57.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$21.54 SGD 27.58

-43.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$9.52 SGD 12.20

-62.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$25.98 SGD 33.27

-59.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$4.48 SGD 5.74

-31.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$3.11 SGD 3.99

-59.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$4.62 SGD 5.92

-66.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.23 SGD 2.86

-43.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$2.50 SGD 3.20

-53.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.38 SGD 3.05

-51.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.78 SGD 2.28

-59.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$1.51 SGD 1.93

-64.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$14.18 SGD 18.16

-91.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$23.79 SGD 30.47

-48.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$4.51 SGD 5.78

-78.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$4.57 SGD 5.86

-67.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$1.58 SGD 2.03

-82.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$96.4 SGD 123

-87.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$3.63 SGD 4.65

-79.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.80 SGD 1.02

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$16.18 SGD 20.72

-80.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$2.51 SGD 3.21

-62.15%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$155.9K SGD 199.6K

-80.28%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$145.8K SGD 186.7K

-79.02%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$175 SGD 224

-41.55%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$12.45 SGD 15.94

-54.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$26.64 SGD 34.11

-60.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$112 SGD 143

-76.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$12.07 SGD 15.46

-2.07%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$11.60 SGD 14.85

-70.78%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$1,463 SGD 1,874

-70.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$28.4K SGD 36.3K

-17.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$81.5 SGD 104

-36.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$50.6 SGD 64.8

-31.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$112 SGD 143

-18.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$130 SGD 166

-26.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$2,916 SGD 3,734

-80.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$2,128 SGD 2,725

-86.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$5,654 SGD 7,241

-77.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$3,968 SGD 5,081

-81.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$23.6K SGD 30.2K

-80.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$16.8K SGD 21.5K

-88.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$4,369 SGD 5,594

-88.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

2.44

254.10%

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 Singapore: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Singapore

$2.1K 61.4% 628% $1.8K

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Singapore

$457 13.2% 123% $252

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Singapore

$168 4.9% 37.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Singapore

$214 6.2% 80.7% $96

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Singapore

$256 7.4% 303% $193

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Singapore

$135 3.9% 313% $102

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Singapore

$110 3.2% 561% $94

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $2,916 in Singapore. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Singapore pays 799% 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 $71.0 in Singapore for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $457 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇸🇬 Singapore

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

5,535,002 Capital

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Singapore Dollar SGD $

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 SGD = 0.781 USD

1 SGD = 0.696 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SGD, 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 = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Singapore Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 SGD (1 SGD = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 SGD (1 SGD = 0.696 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Singapore 1,100 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Singapore

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 Singapore: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 304% lower than in Singapore. 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 799% lower in Singapore. 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 $2,916 in Singapore. 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 $3,454 in Singapore – a 304% 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 729% less than in Singapore. 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 $3,454 in Singapore, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Singapore. 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 Singapore 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 304% less than in Singapore. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.