Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Albay and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Albay: $740 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Albay
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Albay Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Albay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Albay and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Albay and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $740 in Albay versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Albay $740
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,099 in Albay versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Albay $1,099
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,457 in Albay versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Albay $1,457
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Albay costs roughly 14% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Albay 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 ₱250

$1.91 ₫49.6K

108.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.00 ₱1,070

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-25.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱171

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-40.09%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$1.85 ₫48.0K

22.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₱39.23

$0.56 ₫14.6K

10.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.01

$0.32 ₫8,185

3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$1.06 ₫27.5K

10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ₱124

$1.72 ₫44.5K

14.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ₱116

$1.66 ₫42.9K

11.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₱65.2

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-6.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.86 ₱54.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-14.00%

Eggs

$1.99 ₱125

$1.67 ₫43.1K

19.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.92 ₱310

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-59.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.17 ₱263

$3.68 ₫95.2K

13.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.55 ₱413

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-36.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ₱171

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-8.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$1.24 ₫32.2K

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 ₱133

$1.56 ₫40.3K

35.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 ₱65.0

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-20.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.23 ₫31.9K

44.72%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.15 ₫29.8K

96.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 ₱53.9

$0.74 ₫19.1K

16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.89

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.67 ₱168

$1.24 ₫32.1K

115.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 ₱472

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-40.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ₱69.2

$0.96 ₫24.9K

14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ₱118

$1.53 ₫39.6K

22.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.50

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.06 ₱634

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-12.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₱42.90

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-9.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 ₱11.90

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-71.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 ₱104

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-45.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 ₱87.1

$0.96 ₫24.8K

43.75%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$18.5K ₱1.2M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-40.57%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-35.62%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$115 ₱7,229

$102 ₫2.6M

12.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$15.40 ₱970

$5.89 ₫152.5K

161.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.92 ₱1,632

$10.49 ₫271.6K

147.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.20 ₱2,342

$25.54 ₫661.2K

45.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.27 ₱332

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-55.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 ₱336

$3.53 ₫91.3K

51.27%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$133 ₱8,400

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,069 ₱445.1K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-69.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.70 ₱1,807

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-45.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.91 ₱1,254

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 ₱4,587

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-19.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.2 ₱3,160

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-47.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 ₱14.5K

$589 ₫15.3M

-61.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 ₱11.9K

$298 ₫7.7M

-36.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱30.8K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-62.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$328 ₱20.6K

$711 ₫18.4M

-53.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,576 ₱162.2K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-44.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 ₱60.4K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-49.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$163 ₱10.2K

$490 ₫12.7M

-66.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.64

-21.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Albay: October 11, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Albay

$190 25.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 57.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Albay

$176 23.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 18% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Albay

$156 21.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 24.2% $38

Eating Out

Albay

$81 10.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 21.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Albay

$77 10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 58.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Albay

$48 6.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 31.9% $15

Getting Around

Albay

$13 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 30.7% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $230 in Albay and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 201% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $17.00 in Albay vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $176 vs $207 per month, with Albay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Albay

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h behind Albay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

179,481

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Albay Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Albay
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Albay vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Albay and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 16% in total monthly costs ($740 vs $859 including rent). Albay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 201% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $230 in Albay versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Albay – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $740 in Albay versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Albay but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Albay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Albay and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Albay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.