Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Vung Tau: $608 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Vung Tau
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Vung Tau 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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Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$608

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $608 in Vung Tau versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Vung Tau $608
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,015 in Vung Tau versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Vung Tau $1,015
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,423 in Vung Tau versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Vung Tau $1,423
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Vung Tau costs roughly 29% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Vung Tau 55% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.95 ₫50.5K

$1.91 ₫49.6K

2.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.66 ₫405.5K

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-31.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.75 ₫97.0K

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-17.40%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.6K

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-0.54%

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

$0.41 ₫10.6K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,662

$0.32 ₫8,185

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ₫20.2K

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-26.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.3K

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 ₫36.3K

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-15.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-11.00%

Eggs

$1.65 ₫42.8K

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.79 ₫124.0K

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-60.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₫93.1K

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-2.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.44 ₫244.4K

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-7.81%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 ₫79.3K

$2.96 ₫76.5K

3.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.24 ₫32.2K

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-59.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 ₫33.5K

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-6.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.15 ₫29.8K

3.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 ₫15.7K

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-18.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₫11.0K

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.20 ₫31.1K

$1.24 ₫32.1K

-3.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.74 ₫329.7K

$12.60 ₫326.1K

1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ₫21.1K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-15.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

-33.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.1K

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-11.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-62.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 ₫20.7K

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-16.67%

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

$30.2K ₫782.2M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-2.75%

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

$31.4K ₫811.9M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

3.30%

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

$46.69 ₫1.2M

$102 ₫2.6M

-54.22%

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

$5.90 ₫152.7K

$5.89 ₫152.5K

0.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.99 ₫206.9K

$10.49 ₫271.6K

-23.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.04 ₫441.1K

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-33.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.41 ₫243.6K

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-21.06%

Cinema Ticket

$3.54 ₫91.6K

$3.53 ₫91.3K

0.28%

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

$117 ₫3.0M

$436 ₫11.3M

-73.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,586 ₫248.2M

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-58.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.13 ₫547.1K

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-59.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.89 ₫489.1K

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-44.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 ₫2.4M

$90.3 ₫2.3M

2.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 ₫1.8M

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-28.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.9M

$589 ₫15.3M

-48.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₫5.2M

$298 ₫7.7M

-33.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ₫19.5M

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-41.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 ₫13.0M

$711 ₫18.4M

-29.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,301 ₫189.0M

$4,676 ₫121.1M

56.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,367 ₫113.1M

$1,904 ₫49.3M

129.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$572 ₫14.8M

$490 ₫12.7M

16.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

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

Last update for Vung Tau: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vung Tau

$199 32.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 49.7% $99

Groceries & Markets

Vung Tau

$173 28.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 20.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Vung Tau

$90 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 36% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vung Tau

$61 10%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 95.4% $58

Eating Out

Vung Tau

$58 9.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 9.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Vung Tau

$24 4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 35.2% $8.5

Getting Around

Vung Tau

$3.7 * 0.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 355% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Vung Tau and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Vung Tau pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $16.00 in Vung Tau vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $173 vs $207 per month, with Vung Tau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vung Tau

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

07:20 7:20 AM

Same time as Vung Tau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Vung Tau Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 63 km

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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

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

Vung Tau wins on cost – living expenses run 41% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Vung Tau the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Vung Tau, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $304 in Vung Tau versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $608 per month in Vung Tau versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 41% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $608 in Vung Tau versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vung Tau but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Vung Tau the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Vung Tau delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $608 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Vung Tau hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Vung Tau 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 Vung Tau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 41% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.