Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jakarta: $793 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $740 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Jakarta
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Jakarta Living Index
42

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

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Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$793

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jakarta and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $793 in Jakarta versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jakarta $793
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,283 in Jakarta versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jakarta $1,283
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,772 in Jakarta versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jakarta $1,772
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Jakarta costs roughly 7% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jakarta 41% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.63 Rp 47.1K

$1.90 ₫49.1K

38.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.93 Rp 302.6K

$23.32 ₫603.5K

-27.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.33 Rp 59.5K

$4.67 ₫120.9K

-28.69%

Cappuccino

$2.00 Rp 35.8K

$1.85 ₫47.9K

8.11%

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

$0.43 Rp 7,768

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-23.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,468

$0.34 ₫8,857

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 Rp 45.9K

$1.01 ₫26.2K

154.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.85 Rp 68.8K

$1.69 ₫43.7K

127.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 Rp 19.4K

$1.04 ₫27.0K

4.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 Rp 16.2K

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-8.08%

Eggs

$1.77 Rp 31.7K

$1.60 ₫41.5K

10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 Rp 164.8K

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-24.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 Rp 55.5K

$3.54 ₫91.7K

-12.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 Rp 139.0K

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-25.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.87 Rp 51.4K

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 Rp 23.5K

$1.26 ₫32.5K

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 Rp 44.6K

$1.57 ₫40.6K

59.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.39 Rp 24.9K

$1.26 ₫32.5K

10.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 Rp 24.7K

$1.17 ₫30.4K

17.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.10 Rp 37.6K

$1.15 ₫29.7K

82.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 Rp 16.8K

$0.72 ₫18.7K

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,098

$0.54 ₫14.0K

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 Rp 50.0K

$1.22 ₫31.5K

129.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 372.4K

$12.28 ₫317.8K

69.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.05 Rp 36.7K

$0.98 ₫25.4K

109.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 Rp 54.3K

$1.49 ₫38.5K

104.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,805

$0.28 ₫7,249

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 Rp 211.9K

$11.62 ₫300.8K

2.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 Rp 8,975

$0.73 ₫18.9K

-31.51%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 Rp 5,883

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 Rp 61.1K

$3.17 ₫82.0K

7.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 Rp 15.6K

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-8.42%

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

$27.8K Rp 496.4M

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-9.66%

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

$32.6K Rp 583.0M

$30.6K ₫791.6M

6.62%

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

$106 Rp 1.9M

$102 ₫2.6M

3.48%

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

$6.04 Rp 107.9K

$5.65 ₫146.1K

6.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.04 Rp 340.4K

$10.52 ₫272.2K

80.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.65 Rp 458.4K

$25.86 ₫669.2K

-0.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.65 Rp 244.1K

$11.82 ₫305.9K

15.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 58.8K

$3.39 ₫87.8K

-2.95%

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

$153 Rp 2.7M

$438 ₫11.3M

-64.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,270 Rp 147.8M

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-64.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 Rp 1.0M

$51.5 ₫1.3M

13.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.37 Rp 507.1K

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-17.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-22.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 Rp 1.9M

$94.9 ₫2.5M

11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 Rp 6.6M

$577 ₫14.9M

-35.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$200 Rp 3.6M

$292 ₫7.6M

-31.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 Rp 20.6M

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-10.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 Rp 9.9M

$717 ₫18.6M

-22.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,023 Rp 54.0M

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-35.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 Rp 25.8M

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-23.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$449 Rp 8.0M

$486 ₫12.6M

-7.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

8.64

9.49%

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

Last update for Jakarta: October 6, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jakarta

$218 27.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 5.6% $12

Accommodation & Living

Jakarta

$200 25.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 45.9% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jakarta

$131 16.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 9.5% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Jakarta

$119 15%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 3.3% $3.9

Eating Out

Jakarta

$78 9.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 19% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Jakarta

$32 4.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 1.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Jakarta

$15 1.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 10.7% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $370 in Jakarta and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 8% 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: $17.00 in Jakarta vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $206, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Jakarta

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Jakarta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,337,563 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Jakarta Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jakarta
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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

Jakarta vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jakarta wins on cost – living expenses run 8% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jakarta the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 8% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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: $370 in Jakarta versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $793 per month in Jakarta versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jakarta runs roughly 2% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $793 in Jakarta versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jakarta but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jakarta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jakarta delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $793 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jakarta hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Jakarta and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Jakarta gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.