Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bogo City: $735 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bogo City
🇵🇭 Philippines
$735
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $735 in Bogo City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bogo City $735
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,158 in Bogo City versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bogo City $1,158
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,580 in Bogo City versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bogo City $1,580
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Bogo City 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: Bogo City 46% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.00 ₱189
$1.91 ₫49.6K
57.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.52 ₱1,481
$22.84 ₫591.2K
2.98%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.02 ₱253
$4.54 ₫117.6K
-11.45%
Cappuccino
$2.51 ₱158
$1.85 ₫48.0K
35.68%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ₱97.2
$0.56 ₫14.6K
175.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 ₱33.69
$0.32 ₫8,185
68.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.73 ₱109
$1.06 ₫27.5K
63.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.20 ₱139
$1.72 ₫44.5K
27.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.36 ₱85.9
$1.66 ₫42.9K
-18.07%
White Bread (500g)
$1.16 ₱73.3
$1.11 ₫28.7K
4.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.93 ₱58.4
$1.00 ₫25.9K
-7.00%
Eggs
$1.97 ₱124
$1.67 ₫43.1K
17.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.04 ₱632
$12.08 ₫312.8K
-16.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.12 ₱197
$3.68 ₫95.2K
-15.22%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.50 ₱346
$10.24 ₫265.1K
-46.29%
Apples (1kg)
$3.32 ₱209
$2.96 ₫76.5K
12.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.39 ₱87.7
$1.24 ₫32.2K
12.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.32 ₱146
$1.56 ₫40.3K
48.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₱93.6
$1.30 ₫33.6K
14.62%
Potato (1kg)
$2.37 ₱150
$1.23 ₫31.9K
92.68%
Onion (1kg)
$1.96 ₱124
$1.15 ₫29.8K
70.43%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 ₱75.0
$0.74 ₫19.1K
60.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₱39.11
$0.56 ₫14.4K
10.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.88 ₱181
$1.24 ₫32.1K
132.26%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.27 ₱395
$12.60 ₫326.1K
-50.24%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.28 ₱80.4
$0.96 ₫24.9K
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.65 ₱104
$1.53 ₫39.6K
7.84%
🚌 Getting Around
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.28 ₱17.64
$0.26 ₫6,694
7.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.91 ₱750
$11.51 ₫297.9K
3.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.77 ₱48.56
$0.75 ₫19.5K
2.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.23 ₱14.54
$0.67 ₫17.4K
-65.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.93 ₱122
$3.03 ₫78.5K
-36.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.38 ₱87.1
$0.96 ₫24.8K
43.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ₱1.3M
$31.1K ₫804.3M
-32.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.4K ₱1.2M
$30.4K ₫785.9M
-36.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$119 ₱7,493
$102 ₫2.6M
16.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.21 ₱895
$5.89 ₫152.5K
141.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.87 ₱1,754
$10.49 ₫271.6K
165.68%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.57 ₱1,736
$25.54 ₫661.2K
7.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.79 ₱302
$11.92 ₫308.5K
-59.82%
Cinema Ticket
$5.68 ₱358
$3.53 ₫91.3K
60.91%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$132 ₱8,316
$436 ₫11.3M
-69.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,080 ₱508.7K
$23.3K ₫602.8M
-65.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$32.64 ₱2,055
$52.8 ₫1.4M
-38.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.38 ₱1,220
$34.15 ₫884.1K
-43.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$76.2 ₱4,797
$90.3 ₫2.3M
-15.59%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$58.1 ₱3,660
$95.0 ₫2.5M
-38.80%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$282 ₱17.8K
$589 ₫15.3M
-52.14%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$163 ₱10.2K
$298 ₫7.7M
-45.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 ₱28.5K
$1,292 ₫33.5M
-64.97%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$385 ₱24.2K
$711 ₫18.4M
-45.82%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,767 ₱174.2K
$4,676 ₫121.1M
-40.82%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$984 ₱62.0K
$1,904 ₫49.3M
-48.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bogo City
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$490 ₫12.7M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.2
8.64
-16.67%

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

Last update for Bogo City: October 12, 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.
Groceries & Markets
Bogo City
$186
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$207 11.3% $21
Accommodation & Living
Bogo City
$163
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$298 83.1% $135
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bogo City
$161
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118 26.5% $43
Eating Out
Bogo City
$87
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63 27.4% $24
Clothing & Footwear
Bogo City
$84
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$122 46% $39
Sport & Entertainment
Bogo City
$39
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33 16.3% $6.3
Getting Around
Bogo City
$15
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17 11.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $282 in Bogo City and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Bogo City vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $186 vs $207, with Bogo City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Bogo City
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🕒 Local time
11:42 11:42 AM
10:42 10:42 AM
1 h behind Bogo City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
23,562
9,456,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bogo City Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bogo City
  • 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
Bogo City vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper than Bogo City?
Bogo City is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
What income do you need for each city?
You'd need roughly $1,103 in Bogo City and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
What is the rent difference between Bogo City and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Rent for a central apartment: $282 in Bogo City versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What are total monthly expenses in Bogo City and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
All in, you'll spend $735 per month in Bogo City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
A monthly transit pass in Bogo City runs roughly 3% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bogo City or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
At $735 in Bogo City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bogo City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Bogo City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bogo City or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) more family-friendly?
For families, Bogo City is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Bogo City or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Safety-wise, Bogo City 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Bogo City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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