Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Ho Chi Minh City is easier to travel (3.0 vs 3.4). Biggest gap: getting around โ Ho Chi Minh City 2 vs Lombok 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Lombok | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Lombok โ19% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 20,000$1.23 | Lombok โ8% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Rp 150,000$9.2 | Lombok โ14% |
| 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 | Lombok โ10% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Rp 6,000$0.37 | Lombok โ35% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | Lombok โ31% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Rp 20,000$1.23 | Ho Chi Minh City โ38% |
| 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 75,000$4.6 | Lombok โ19% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Rp 500,000$30.7 | Lombok โ19% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Rp 5,000,000$307 | Lombok โ19% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Lombok โ19% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 80,000$4.91 | Lombok โ35% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 40,000$2.45 | Lombok โ35% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 120,000$7.36 | Lombok โ35% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Rp 300,000$18.4 | Lombok โ26% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 30,000$1.84 | similar |
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%+.
Lombok is 12% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $55.7; a month $1,302 vs $1,218.
Ho Chi Minh City is easier: Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 vs Lombok 3.4/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Lombok about $1,218 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.