Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $862 a month against $2,498 in Northam, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Northam
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Northam 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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Northam

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,498

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Northam 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 Northam and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,498 in Northam versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Northam $2,498
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,618 in Northam versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Northam $3,618
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,737 in Northam versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Northam $4,737
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Northam is roughly 190% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Northam is 84% above, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.97 A$28.40

$1.98 ₫51.2K

908.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 A$121

$23.14 ₫597.9K

267.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.55 A$15.01

$4.76 ₫122.9K

121.64%

Cappuccino

$4.48 A$6.37

$1.86 ₫48.0K

140.86%

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

$2.84 A$4.04

$0.51 ₫13.3K

456.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.26

$0.32 ₫8,176

615.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.30 A$11.80

$1.03 ₫26.6K

705.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.10 A$11.52

$1.71 ₫44.3K

373.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 A$2.48

$1.58 ₫40.8K

10.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.58 A$3.67

$1.09 ₫28.3K

136.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.98 A$2.82

$1.05 ₫27.2K

88.57%

Eggs

$4.48 A$6.37

$1.64 ₫42.5K

173.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.37 A$9.06

$12.33 ₫318.6K

-48.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 A$12.98

$3.58 ₫92.4K

154.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.08 A$20.02

$10.56 ₫272.8K

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.73 A$3.88

$2.97 ₫76.8K

-8.08%

Banana (1kg)

$3.25 A$4.62

$1.26 ₫32.7K

157.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 A$4.90

$1.62 ₫41.9K

112.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.92 A$6.99

$1.31 ₫33.8K

275.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.89 A$4.12

$1.19 ₫30.7K

142.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 A$2.81

$1.14 ₫29.5K

72.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.25 A$3.20

$0.73 ₫18.8K

208.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 A$1.04

$0.56 ₫14.6K

30.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$41.37 A$58.8

$1.28 ₫33.0K

3132.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.49 A$4.97

$12.46 ₫321.9K

-71.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.40 A$6.25

$0.96 ₫24.8K

358.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 A$5.00

$1.48 ₫38.3K

137.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 A$4.16

$0.26 ₫6,691

1023.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.6 A$115

$11.43 ₫295.4K

604.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 A$5.02

$0.68 ₫17.7K

419.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 A$2.07

$0.62 ₫16.1K

135.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.14 A$58.5

$3.00 ₫77.5K

1271.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 A$1.91

$0.91 ₫23.5K

48.35%

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

$26.9K A$38.2K

$30.6K ₫789.9M

-12.16%

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

$29.5K A$41.9K

$29.4K ₫758.7M

0.34%

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

$196 A$279

$104 ₫2.7M

88.73%

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

$24.09 A$34.27

$5.79 ₫149.6K

316.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.3 A$91.5

$10.48 ₫270.8K

513.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 A$80.3

$26.08 ₫673.8K

116.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 A$25.33

$11.90 ₫307.6K

49.66%

Cinema Ticket

$17.30 A$24.61

$3.89 ₫100.5K

344.73%

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

$2,328 A$3,310

$440 ₫11.4M

429.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.2K A$33.0K

$24.1K ₫621.5M

-3.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.3 A$110

$50.9 ₫1.3M

51.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.3 A$94.3

$35.18 ₫909.0K

88.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$123 A$174

$92.1 ₫2.4M

33.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$161 A$229

$96.5 ₫2.5M

66.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 A$1,978

$582 ₫15.0M

138.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 A$1,693

$297 ₫7.7M

301.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,173 A$3,091

$1,298 ₫33.5M

67.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,783 A$2,536

$727 ₫18.8M

145.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,780 A$8,221

$4,782 ₫123.6M

20.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,889 A$6,954

$1,853 ₫47.9M

163.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.91

8.64

-31.60%

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

Last update for Northam: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Northam

$1.2K 47.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 75.1% $894

Eating Out

Northam

$323 12.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 80.1% $259

Groceries & Markets

Northam

$314 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 33.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Northam

$284 11.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 57.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Northam

$192 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 35.7% $69

Getting Around

Northam

$103 4.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 84.2% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Northam

$91 3.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 62.8% $57

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,391 in Northam and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85 in Northam vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $314 vs $208 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Northam

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:43 8:43 AM

07:43 7:43 AM

1 h behind Northam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.703 USD

1 AUD = 0.628 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 AUD (1 AUD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 AUD (1 AUD = 0.628 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 25,840 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,952 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Northam Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 4,840 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Northam
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 65% lower than in Northam. 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 $3,747 in Northam and $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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: $1,391 in Northam versus $582 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 $2,498 per month in Northam versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 190% 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 86% less than in Northam. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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, Northam 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Northam. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.