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Compare cities โบ Ho Chi Minh City vs Surabaya
Ho Chi Minh City vs Surabaya 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 SurabayaSurabaya is 37% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City
Living on $1,302 a month in Ho Chi Minh City feels like about $738 in Surabaya โ same standard of living, compared by feel rather than exchange rate.
Cheaper on how many of 20 items?
Ho Chi Minh City 4tie 1Surabaya 15
One day's budget in Ho Chi Minh City ($68) lasts 1.5 days in Surabaya
Compare on YOUR lifestyleSet your rent, eating out, coffee & taxis โ see your real monthly difference ยท free
โบ
Per day
$68 vs $46.7
Per month
$1,302 vs $738
Local meal
โซ 60,000 vs Rp 20,000
$2.28 vs $1.23
Taxi 5 km
โซ 70,000 vs Rp 28,000
$2.66 vs $1.72
At a glance
FoodSurabaya 40% cheaper
Cafรฉs & drinksHo Chi Minh City 36% cheaper
TransportSurabaya 8% cheaper
StaySurabaya 39% cheaper
FunSurabaya 42% cheaper
- Where Surabaya is clearly cheaper: Laundry (57%โ), Studio rent (month) (52%โ), Entry ticket (52%โ)
- Where Ho Chi Minh City is clearly cheaper: Beer (52%โ), Cocktail & wine (32%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Enter a monthly income in Ho Chi Minh City to see what gives the same standard of living in Surabaya. Starts at the average Ho Chi Minh City salary.
Travel difficulty
Ho Chi Minh City
Surabaya
Overall
Hard3.0
Moderate2.4
Rip-offs & haggling
4
2
Language
3
3
Getting around
2
2
Payments
3
3
Safety
3
2
Surabaya is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Ho Chi Minh City 4 vs Surabaya 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Ho Chi Minh City | Surabaya | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Rp 20,000$1.23 | Surabaya โ46% |
| Street food1 item | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Surabaya โ31% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Rp 100,000$6.13 | Surabaya โ42% |
| 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 45,000$2.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ52% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Rp 110,000$6.75 | Ho Chi Minh City โ32% |
| Bottled water | โซ 9,000$0.34 | Rp 4,000$0.25 | Surabaya โ28% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Surabaya โ14% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Rp 28,000$1.72 | Surabaya โ35% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Rp 12,000$0.74 | similar |
| 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 80,000$4.91 | Surabaya โ14% |
| Hotel night3-star | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Rp 450,000$27.6 | Surabaya โ27% |
| Studio rent (month) | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Rp 3,000,000$184 | Surabaya โ52% |
| Laundry | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Rp 8,000$0.49 | Surabaya โ57% |
| SIM card1 week data | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Rp 75,000$4.6 | Surabaya โ39% |
| Haircutcut | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Rp 40,000$2.45 | Surabaya โ35% |
| Massage1 hour | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Rp 120,000$7.36 | Surabaya โ35% |
| Half-day tourper person | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Rp 250,000$15.3 | Surabaya โ38% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Rp 15,000$0.92 | Surabaya โ52% |
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 Surabaya?
Surabaya is 37% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $68 vs $46.7; a month $1,302 vs $738.
Which is easier to travel, Ho Chi Minh City or Surabaya?
Surabaya is easier: Surabaya 2.4/5 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 Surabaya?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Ho Chi Minh City is about $1,302 and Surabaya about $738 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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