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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Labuan Bajo
Ho Chi Minh City vs Labuan Bajo 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 Labuan BajoLabuan Bajo is 17% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $879 in Labuan Bajo โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 11tie 0Labuan Bajo 9
One day's budget in Ho Chi Minh City ($68) lasts 1.0 days in Labuan Bajo
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $66.7
Per month
$1,302 vs $879
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs Rp 35,000
$2.28 vs $2.15
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs Rp 30,000
$2.66 vs $1.84
At a glance
FoodLabuan Bajo 7% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 37% cheaper
Transportsimilar
StayLabuan Bajo 19% cheaper
FunHo Chi Minh City 81% cheaper
- Where Labuan Bajo is clearly cheaper: SIM card (60%โ), Studio rent (month) (52%โ), Haircut (35%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Entry ticket (92%โ), Beer (57%โ), Half-day tour (42%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Labuan Bajo. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Labuan Bajo
Overall
Hard3.0
Hard3.2
Rip-offs & haggling
4
3
Language
3
3
Getting around
2
4
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
3
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.2). Biggest gap: getting around โ Ho Chi Minh City 2 vs Labuan Bajo 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Labuan Bajo | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Rp 35,000$2.15 | Labuan Bajo โ6% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 25,000$1.53 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Rp 120,000$7.36 | Labuan Bajo โ31% |
| Coffeeone cup | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 35,000$2.15 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
| Beerone bottle | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 50,000$3.07 | Ho Chi Minh City โ57% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Ho Chi Minh City โ26% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Rp 5,000$0.31 | Labuan Bajo โ10% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Labuan Bajo โ14% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Labuan Bajo โ31% |
| 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 5,000$0.31 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| 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 700,000$42.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ11% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Rp 3,000,000$184 | Labuan Bajo โ52% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 20,000$1.23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ7% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 50,000$3.07 | Labuan Bajo โ60% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 40,000$2.45 | Labuan Bajo โ35% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 150,000$9.2 | Labuan Bajo โ19% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Rp 700,000$42.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ42% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 400,000$24.5 | Ho Chi Minh City โ92% |
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.
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FAQ
Which is cheaper, Ho Chi Minh City or Labuan Bajo?
Labuan Bajo is 17% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $66.7; a month $1,302 vs $879.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Labuan Bajo?
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Labuan Bajo 3.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Ho Chi Minh City and Labuan Bajo?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Labuan Bajo about $879 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.
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