Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Uluwatu, Bali

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
81

Cost of Living Index in Uluwatu, Bali
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Uluwatu, Bali Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Uluwatu, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,675

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Uluwatu, Bali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Uluwatu, Bali $1,675

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,848 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Uluwatu, Bali $2,848

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $4,020 in Uluwatu, Bali.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Uluwatu, Bali $4,020

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 49% less than in Uluwatu, Bali, 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, Uluwatu, Bali is 25% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$3.95 Rp 70.7K

-51.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$42.45 Rp 759.4K

-45.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$6.92 Rp 123.7K

-32.51%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.22 Rp 57.5K

-42.55%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

-72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$0.99 Rp 17.8K

-65.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$3.21 Rp 57.4K

-68.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$5.34 Rp 95.5K

-68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.61 Rp 28.9K

-1.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.30 Rp 41.1K

-54.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.27 Rp 22.7K

-22.05%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.26 Rp 40.4K

-29.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$18.24 Rp 326.3K

-32.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.07 Rp 72.7K

-13.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$12.90 Rp 230.7K

-19.07%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

-15.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.62 Rp 28.9K

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.34 Rp 41.9K

-32.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.04 Rp 36.4K

-38.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.97 Rp 35.2K

-40.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.44 Rp 43.6K

-52.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

-32.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.52 Rp 9,319

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.29 Rp 41.0K

-46.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$23.34 Rp 417.6K

-47.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$2.37 Rp 42.5K

-58.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$3.12 Rp 55.9K

-52.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.32 Rp 5,791

-12.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$10.24 Rp 183.1K

13.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.57 Rp 10.1K

28.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.57 Rp 10.2K

12.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$2.71 Rp 48.5K

16.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.10 Rp 19.7K

-13.64%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$30.7K Rp 549.1M

0.16%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$38.3K Rp 685.4M

-20.16%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$90.2 Rp 1.6M

13.39%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$7.15 Rp 128.0K

-20.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$20.44 Rp 365.7K

-48.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$64.8 Rp 1.2M

-60.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$20.82 Rp 372.4K

-43.23%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$5.10 Rp 91.2K

-33.53%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$556 Rp 10.0M

-21.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$6,498 Rp 116.2M

258.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$50.8 Rp 908.3K

1.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$39.30 Rp 703.0K

-12.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$88.4 Rp 1.6M

3.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$84.7 Rp 1.5M

12.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$1,523 Rp 27.2M

-62.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$929 Rp 16.6M

-68.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$4,862 Rp 87.0M

-73.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$2,353 Rp 42.1M

-69.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$3,679 Rp 65.8M

28.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$3,038 Rp 54.4M

-38.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

13.78

-37.30%

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 Uluwatu, Bali: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Uluwatu, Bali

$929 55.1% 218% $637

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Uluwatu, Bali

$301 17.8% 46.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Uluwatu, Bali

$118 7% 3.4% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Uluwatu, Bali

$118 7% 0.5% $0.6

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Uluwatu, Bali

$130 7.7% 104% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Uluwatu, Bali

$75 4.5% 130% $42

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Uluwatu, Bali

$15 0.9% 10.5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,523 in Uluwatu, Bali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $42.00 in Uluwatu, Bali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $301 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇮🇩 Uluwatu, Bali

🕒 Local time

16:59 4:59 PM

17:59 5:59 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

5,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,011 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,047 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Uluwatu, Bali 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Uluwatu, Bali

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 Uluwatu, Bali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Uluwatu, Bali. 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 $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $2,513 in Uluwatu, Bali 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,523 in Uluwatu, Bali. 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 $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali – a 96% 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 13% less than in Uluwatu, Bali. 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 $1,675 in Uluwatu, Bali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Uluwatu, Bali. 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 Uluwatu, Bali 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 96% less than in Uluwatu, Bali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.