Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Both cities are about equally easy to travel. Biggest gap: getting around โ Ha Long 3 vs Yogyakarta 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ha Long | Yogyakarta | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 24,000$1.47 | Yogyakarta โ23% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Yogyakarta โ31% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 90,000$5.52 | Yogyakarta โ52% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 45,000$1.71 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Ha Long โ7% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 25,000$0.95 | Rp 41,000$2.52 | Ha Long โ62% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 110,000$6.75 | Ha Long โ44% |
| Bottled water | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Rp 4,900$0.3 | Ha Long โ11% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 12,000$0.46 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Ha Long โ7% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 32,000$1.96 | Yogyakarta โ26% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Rp 24,000$1.47 | Ha Long โ48% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 10,000$0.38 | Rp 3,500$0.21 | Yogyakarta โ44% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 98,000$6.01 | Yogyakarta โ21% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Rp 490,000$30.1 | Yogyakarta โ21% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 6,300,000$240 | Rp 3,000,000$184 | Yogyakarta โ23% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Yogyakarta โ57% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Rp 98,000$6.01 | Ha Long โ5% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Yogyakarta โ31% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Yogyakarta โ46% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 700,000$26.6 | Rp 350,000$21.5 | Yogyakarta โ19% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 290,000$11 | Rp 25,000$1.53 | Yogyakarta โ86% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Yogyakarta is 28% cheaper than Ha Long. Daily budget $67.8 vs $49.3; a month $1,045 vs $744.
About the same: Ha Long 2.8/5, Yogyakarta 2.6/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ha Long is about $1,045 and Yogyakarta about $744 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.