Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Batangas: $620 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Batangas
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Batangas 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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Batangas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$620

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $620 in Batangas versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Batangas $620
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $901 in Batangas versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Batangas $901
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,183 in Batangas versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Batangas $1,183
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Batangas costs roughly 28% 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: Batangas 54% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₱134

$1.91 ₫49.6K

11.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.25 ₱1,212

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-15.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.67 ₱168

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-41.19%

Cappuccino

$2.10 ₱132

$1.85 ₫48.0K

13.51%

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

$0.39 ₱24.34

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.86

$0.32 ₫8,185

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$1.06 ₫27.5K

1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 ₱89.6

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-17.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.66 ₫42.9K

3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$1.11 ₫28.7K

1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ₱48.09

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-24.00%

Eggs

$1.64 ₱103

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.53 ₱348

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-54.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.22 ₱266

$3.68 ₫95.2K

14.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.90 ₱434

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-32.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ₱89.2

$1.24 ₫32.2K

14.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.56 ₫40.3K

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.2

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-13.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 ₱146

$1.23 ₫31.9K

89.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 ₱213

$1.15 ₫29.8K

193.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ₱81.8

$0.74 ₫19.1K

75.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$0.56 ₫14.4K

73.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 ₱157

$1.24 ₫32.1K

100.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 ₱470

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 ₱83.4

$0.96 ₫24.9K

37.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.53 ₫39.6K

16.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 ₱41.44

$0.26 ₫6,694

153.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.84 ₱52.8

$0.75 ₫19.5K

12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-68.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 ₱164

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-14.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 ₱64.8

$0.96 ₫24.8K

7.29%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-30.72%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-38.08%

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

$165 ₱10.4K

$102 ₫2.6M

61.69%

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

$14.40 ₱907

$5.89 ₫152.5K

144.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.88 ₱1,503

$10.49 ₫271.6K

127.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.88 ₱1,189

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-26.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.62 ₱795

$11.92 ₫308.5K

5.87%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 ₱356

$3.53 ₫91.3K

60.34%

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

$73.0 ₱4,598

$436 ₫11.3M

-83.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,264 ₱79.6K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-94.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.87 ₱999

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-69.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.72 ₱1,431

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-33.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.8 ₱3,510

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-38.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.47 ₱2,485

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-58.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$72.7 ₱4,576

$298 ₫7.7M

-75.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,979

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-87.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$95.2 ₱5,992

$711 ₫18.4M

-86.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,511 ₱158.1K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-46.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 ₱102.7K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-14.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$186 ₱11.7K

$490 ₫12.7M

-62.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-18.98%

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

Last update for Batangas: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batangas

$203 32.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 41.7% $85

Groceries & Markets

Batangas

$188 30.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 10.4% $19

Accommodation & Living

Batangas

$73 11.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 310% $225

Eating Out

Batangas

$61 9.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 3.8% $2.3

Clothing & Footwear

Batangas

$60 9.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 103% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Batangas

$30 4.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 7.9% $2.4

Getting Around

Batangas

$4.5 * 0.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 268% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 163% 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: $19.00 in Batangas vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $207 per month, with Batangas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Batangas

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h behind Batangas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

329,874

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 17, 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 17, 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

Batangas Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Batangas
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

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

Batangas and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($620 vs $859 including rent). Batangas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 163% 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $620 per month in Batangas versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $620 in Batangas versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Batangas but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Batangas 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, Batangas 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 Batangas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.