Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bulacan
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Bulacan 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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Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Bulacan vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bulacan $638
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $927 per month in Bulacan vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bulacan $927
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,215 per month in Bulacan vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Bulacan $1,215
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Bulacan is about 26% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bulacan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Bulacan 53% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.00 ₱126

$1.91 ₫49.6K

4.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.88 ₱1,000

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-40.31%

Cappuccino

$1.79 ₱112

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-3.24%

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

$0.44 ₱27.72

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-21.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ₱16.39

$0.32 ₫8,185

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.93 ₱58.4

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-12.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.1

$1.11 ₫28.7K

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ₱60.1

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-5.00%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$1.67 ₫43.1K

7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.80 ₱176

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-76.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₱217

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-6.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.03 ₱380

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-41.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-30.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 ₱98.2

$1.24 ₫32.2K

25.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.56 ₫40.3K

27.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$1.23 ₫31.9K

30.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.15 ₫29.8K

50.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.14

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.07

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱191

$1.24 ₫32.1K

145.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.53 ₱222

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-71.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱56.3

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.1

$1.53 ₫39.6K

1.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 ₱11.81

$0.26 ₫6,694

-26.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.68 ₱421

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-41.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.19

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.15 ₱9.67

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-77.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-38.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ₱66.7

$0.96 ₫24.8K

10.42%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-30.23%

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

$16.4K ₱1.0M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-46.03%

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

$112 ₱7,031

$102 ₫2.6M

9.50%

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

$17.26 ₱1,087

$5.89 ₫152.5K

193.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.39 ₱1,472

$10.49 ₫271.6K

122.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.17 ₱2,340

$25.54 ₫661.2K

45.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$0.78 ₱49.15

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-93.46%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 ₱320

$3.53 ₫91.3K

44.19%

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

$96.7 ₱6,088

$436 ₫11.3M

-77.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$941 ₱59.3K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-95.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.48 ₱1,793

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-46.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.39 ₱1,221

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-43.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.5 ₱4,756

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-16.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.5 ₱3,493

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-41.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$589 ₫15.3M

-59.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₱9,223

$298 ₫7.7M

-50.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$385 ₱24.2K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-70.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$215 ₱13.5K

$711 ₫18.4M

-69.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,879 ₱118.3K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-59.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,458 ₱91.8K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-23.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 ₱18.2K

$490 ₫12.7M

-40.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.64

-21.88%

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

Last update for Bulacan: 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

Bulacan

$152 23.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 22.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Bulacan

$147 23%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 41.3% $61

Accommodation & Living

Bulacan

$146 23%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 103% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Bulacan

$81 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 52.1% $42

Eating Out

Bulacan

$56 8.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 12.8% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bulacan

$47 7.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 31.2% $15

Getting Around

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 87.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Bulacan 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 69% 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 $16.00 in Bulacan versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $147 vs $207 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

23:48 11:48 PM

1 h behind Bulacan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,700,000

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 = 70.79 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 = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bulacan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bulacan
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 34% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Bulacan 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 Bulacan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $638 in Bulacan and $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 34%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bulacan costs $638 versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bulacan. 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.