Earn Here, Spend ThereWhat is this money worth over there?
KOOpen app
Journey will show you around
City pricesDaily travel budget & monthly costPrice mapTap a city, see it in your moneyTrip budgetPlan a multi-city trip budgetTravel difficultyEasiest & hardest cities to travelCompareTwo cities side by sideBlogTravel money stories & rankingsCurrencyQuick conversion tablesExpense trackerLog trip costs from a receiptPopular cities
Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Jakarta
Ho Chi Minh City vs Jakarta cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City
๐ฎ๐ฉ JakartaJakarta is 5% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $1,138 in Jakarta โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 7tie 3Jakarta 10
One day's budget in Ho Chi Minh City ($68) lasts 1.0 days in Jakarta
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $69.7
Per month
$1,302 vs $1,138
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs Rp 30,000
$2.28 vs $1.84
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs Rp 42,000
$2.66 vs $2.58
At a glance
FoodJakarta 17% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 41% cheaper
Transportsimilar
StayJakarta 7% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 42% cheaper
- Where Jakarta is clearly cheaper: Convenience store (35%โ), Laundry (35%โ), Street food (35%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (68%โ), Beer (52%โ), Cocktail & wine (43%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Jakarta. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Jakarta
Overall
Hard3.0
Moderate2.8
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
3
Getting around
2
2
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
3
Jakarta is easier to travel (2.8 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Jakarta 3. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Jakarta | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Jakarta โ19% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 14,000$0.86 | Jakarta โ35% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Rp 180,000$11 | similar |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 38,000$2.33 | Ho Chi Minh City โ18% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 45,000$2.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Rp 130,000$7.98 | Ho Chi Minh City โ43% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Rp 4,500$0.28 | Jakarta โ19% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Rp 6,000$0.37 | Jakarta โ35% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 42,000$2.58 | similar |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Ho Chi Minh City โ17% |
| Transitone ride | โซ 7,000$0.27 | Rp 3,500$0.21 | Jakarta โ19% |
| Scooter rentalper day | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Ho Chi Minh City โ7% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Rp 650,000$39.9 | similar |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Rp 5,000,000$307 | Jakarta โ19% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 12,000$0.74 | Jakarta โ35% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 97,000$5.95 | Jakarta โ22% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 50,000$3.07 | Jakarta โ19% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 170,000$10.4 | Jakarta โ9% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Rp 450,000$27.6 | Ho Chi Minh City โ10% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 97,000$5.95 | Ho Chi Minh City โ68% |
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%+.
Compare on your own lifestyle in the appSet your rent, eating out, coffee and taxis โ see your real monthly difference and live traveler prices. No sign-up.
Open free โบ
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Jakarta?
Jakarta is 5% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $69.7; a month $1,302 vs $1,138.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Jakarta?
Jakarta is easier: Jakarta 2.8/5 vs Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Jakarta?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Jakarta about $1,138 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
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.
Related comparisons
๐ฌ๐ท Athens vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฎ๐ฉ Bali vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ช๐ธ Barcelona vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐น๐ญ Bangkok vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ญ๐บ Budapest vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฐ๐ท Busan vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ต๐ญ Cebu vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City๐ฑ๐ฐ Colombo vs ๐ป๐ณ Ho Chi Minh City