Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacolod: $607 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bacolod
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Bacolod Living Index
42

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

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Bacolod

🇵🇭 Philippines

$607

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bacolod 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 Bacolod and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $607 per month in Bacolod vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bacolod $607
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $885 per month in Bacolod vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bacolod $885
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,162 per month in Bacolod vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bacolod $1,162
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Bacolod is about 29% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bacolod and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Bacolod 55% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.34 ₱147

$1.91 ₫49.6K

22.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.87 ₱810

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-43.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.03 ₱254

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-11.23%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ₱155

$1.85 ₫48.0K

32.97%

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

$0.70 ₱43.96

$0.56 ₫14.6K

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₱23.61

$0.32 ₫8,185

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.37 ₱86.3

$1.06 ₫27.5K

29.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.72 ₫44.5K

3.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.11 ₫28.7K

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-5.00%

Eggs

$1.66 ₱105

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.92 ₱561

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-26.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 ₱437

$3.68 ₫95.2K

88.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ₱212

$2.96 ₫76.5K

13.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.24 ₫32.2K

95.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

Tomato (1kg)

$0.53 ₱33.60

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-59.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.15 ₫29.8K

73.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$0.56 ₫14.4K

83.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.77 ₱175

$1.24 ₫32.1K

123.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₱57.4

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-5.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 ₱11.18

$0.26 ₫6,694

-30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₱38.66

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-18.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.5

$0.96 ₫24.8K

33.33%

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

$22.1K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-28.99%

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

$24.0K ₱1.5M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-20.95%

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

$137 ₱8,646

$102 ₫2.6M

34.66%

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

$7.99 ₱503

$5.89 ₫152.5K

35.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.20 ₱1,776

$10.49 ₫271.6K

168.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.87 ₱999

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-37.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.44 ₱153

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-79.53%

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$3.53 ₫91.3K

23.80%

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

$31.23 ₱1,966

$436 ₫11.3M

-92.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$267 ₱16.8K

$589 ₫15.3M

-54.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ₱11.2K

$298 ₫7.7M

-40.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$475 ₱29.9K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-63.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$347 ₱21.8K

$711 ₫18.4M

-51.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$206 ₱13.0K

$490 ₫12.7M

-57.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

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

Last update for Bacolod: 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

Bacolod

$178 29.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 67% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bacolod

$174 28.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 31.8% $55

Groceries & Markets

Bacolod

$155 * 25.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 34.1% $53

Eating Out

Bacolod

$75 12.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 15.4% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Bacolod

$25 4.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 32.4% $8

Getting Around

Bacolod

$1.3 * 0.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 1161% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Bacolod

- * 0%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $267 in Bacolod versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 138% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $207 – making Bacolod the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bacolod

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

07:15 7:15 AM

1 h behind Bacolod

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

561,875

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bacolod Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bacolod
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $607 in Bacolod, $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $911 per month in Bacolod and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bacolod, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Bacolod and $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bacolod, where all-in costs run around $607, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Bacolod it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bacolod has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $607 in Bacolod to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bacolod. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.