Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $853 a month against $1,349 in Ubud, Bali, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Ubud, Bali
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Ubud, Bali Living Index
41

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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Ubud, Bali

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$1,349

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,349 in Ubud, Bali versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ubud, Bali $1,349
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,305 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ubud, Bali $2,305
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,261 in Ubud, Bali versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Ubud, Bali $3,261
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Ubud, Bali is roughly 58% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.32 Rp 60.2K

$1.91 ₫49.3K

73.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.64 Rp 645.8K

$22.93 ₫591.8K

55.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.53 Rp 100.3K

$4.69 ₫121.0K

17.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 Rp 49.3K

$1.80 ₫46.4K

51.11%

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

$1.70 Rp 30.8K

$0.55 ₫14.2K

209.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 Rp 13.8K

$0.34 ₫8,802

123.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.65 Rp 48.1K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

157.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 Rp 79.4K

$1.72 ₫44.4K

154.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 Rp 27.0K

$1.67 ₫43.0K

-10.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 Rp 41.2K

$1.09 ₫28.2K

109.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 Rp 21.6K

$1.06 ₫27.2K

12.26%

Eggs

$2.04 Rp 36.9K

$1.60 ₫41.2K

27.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.70 Rp 320.8K

$12.08 ₫311.8K

46.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 Rp 71.8K

$3.66 ₫94.4K

8.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 Rp 220.9K

$10.35 ₫267.0K

17.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 Rp 66.2K

$3.01 ₫77.7K

21.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 Rp 27.5K

$1.26 ₫32.5K

20.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 Rp 40.4K

$1.62 ₫41.9K

37.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.7K

$1.27 ₫32.7K

55.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 Rp 33.5K

$1.18 ₫30.5K

56.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 Rp 43.9K

$1.19 ₫30.7K

103.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 Rp 17.9K

$0.78 ₫20.1K

26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Rp 9,303

$0.55 ₫14.2K

-7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.22 Rp 40.3K

$1.26 ₫32.5K

76.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.24 Rp 403.0K

$12.85 ₫331.5K

73.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 Rp 41.0K

$0.90 ₫23.1K

151.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 Rp 53.8K

$1.46 ₫37.6K

103.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 Rp 4,548

$0.28 ₫7,252

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.82 Rp 141.8K

$11.42 ₫294.7K

-31.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.44 Rp 7,964

$0.70 ₫18.1K

-37.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 Rp 7,793

$0.63 ₫16.2K

-31.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 Rp 98.0K

$3.09 ₫79.7K

75.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.9K

$0.95 ₫24.5K

-13.68%

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

$23.8K Rp 432.0M

$30.5K ₫787.4M

-21.87%

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

$31.7K Rp 575.3M

$29.7K ₫767.0M

6.81%

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

$79.1 Rp 1.4M

$102 ₫2.6M

-22.66%

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

$6.45 Rp 116.8K

$5.65 ₫145.7K

14.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.58 Rp 336.7K

$10.43 ₫269.2K

78.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.48 Rp 896.7K

$19.30 ₫498.1K

156.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 Rp 319.8K

$11.81 ₫304.8K

49.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.27 Rp 77.4K

$3.83 ₫98.8K

11.49%

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

$491 Rp 8.9M

$484 ₫12.5M

1.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,674 Rp 102.8M

$23.3K ₫601.6M

-75.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.64 Rp 808.9K

$52.3 ₫1.3M

-14.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 Rp 633.4K

$34.35 ₫886.3K

1.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 Rp 1.4M

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-13.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.4 Rp 1.4M

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-15.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 Rp 20.4M

$647 ₫16.7M

73.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 Rp 12.2M

$297 ₫7.7M

125.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,565 Rp 64.6M

$1,291 ₫33.3M

176.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,723 Rp 31.2M

$719 ₫18.6M

139.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,732 Rp 49.5M

$4,327 ₫111.6M

-36.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,284 Rp 41.4M

$1,987 ₫51.3M

14.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$164 Rp 3.0M

$490 ₫12.6M

-66.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.78

8.64

59.49%

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

Last update for Ubud, Bali: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubud, Bali

$672 49.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 55.7% $374

Groceries & Markets

Ubud, Bali

$288 21.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 27.9% $80

Eating Out

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 41.4% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ubud, Bali

$108 8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 14.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubud, Bali

$104 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 13.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Ubud, Bali

$58 4.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 53.5% $31

Getting Around

Ubud, Bali

$11 0.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 43.6% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,125 in Ubud, Bali and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays about 3 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $36 in Ubud, Bali vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $208 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Ubud, Bali

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

1 h behind Ubud, Bali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,800

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.88 USD

100,000 VND = 3.47 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18,120 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.52 USD). 1 EUR = 20,232 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 25,802 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 28,810 VND (100,000 VND = 3.47 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ubud, Bali Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ubud, Bali
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Ubud, 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.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Ubud, Bali. 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: $1,125 in Ubud, Bali versus $647 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 $1,349 per month in Ubud, Bali versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 37% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ubud, Bali runs roughly 32% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch 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 work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value at $853 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, Ubud, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.