Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Butuan: $578 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

28

Cost of Living Index in Butuan
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Butuan 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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Butuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$578

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $578 in Butuan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Butuan $578
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $913 in Butuan versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Butuan $913
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,248 in Butuan versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Butuan $1,248
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Butuan costs roughly 33% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butuan 57% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.67 ₱294

$1.91 ₫49.6K

144.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.83 ₱1,689

$22.84 ₫591.2K

17.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 ₱152

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-46.92%

Cappuccino

$2.09 ₱131

$1.85 ₫48.0K

12.97%

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

$0.33 ₱21.01

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-41.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ₱14.47

$0.32 ₫8,185

-28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.57 ₱98.8

$1.06 ₫27.5K

48.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.72 ₫44.5K

43.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.66 ₫42.9K

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱68.9

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-13.00%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$1.67 ₫43.1K

11.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.21 ₱391

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-48.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.84 ₱305

$3.68 ₫95.2K

31.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.32 ₱587

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-8.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 ₱169

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-9.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ₱69.7

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-10.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.42 ₱152

$1.56 ₫40.3K

55.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.8

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 ₱127

$1.23 ₫31.9K

64.23%

Onion (1kg)

$3.51 ₱221

$1.15 ₫29.8K

205.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱79.0

$0.74 ₫19.1K

68.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.40

$0.56 ₫14.4K

19.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.39 ₱150

$1.24 ₫32.1K

92.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.13 ₱512

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-35.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$0.96 ₫24.9K

30.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₱106

$1.53 ₫39.6K

10.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.31

$0.75 ₫19.5K

4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-62.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₱123

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-35.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.1

$0.96 ₫24.8K

9.38%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-31.66%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-37.32%

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

$107 ₱6,745

$102 ₫2.6M

5.05%

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

$18.89 ₱1,189

$5.89 ₫152.5K

220.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.87 ₱1,944

$10.49 ₫271.6K

194.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.85 ₱1,502

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-6.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.37 ₱275

$3.53 ₫91.3K

23.80%

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

$108 ₱6,790

$436 ₫11.3M

-75.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,696 ₱484.6K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-66.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₱3,885

$52.8 ₫1.4M

16.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.28 ₱1,970

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-8.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.8 ₱4,523

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-20.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.2 ₱3,916

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-34.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

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)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

8.64

-3.82%

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

Last update for Butuan: 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

Butuan

$200 34.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 3.6% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butuan

$157 27.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 24.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Butuan

$102 17.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 19.9% $20

Eating Out

Butuan

$85 14.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 25% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Butuan

$33 5.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 0.1% $0

Getting Around

Butuan

$2 * 0.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 716% $15

Accommodation & Living

Butuan

- * 0%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $27.00 in Butuan vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $200 vs $207, with Butuan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Butuan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h behind Butuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

337,063

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

Butuan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,070 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Butuan
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

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

Butuan wins on cost – living expenses run 48% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Butuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $867 in Butuan 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.

Childcare runs $108 in Butuan versus $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Butuan – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $578 in Butuan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butuan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Butuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $578 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Butuan 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 Butuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 48% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.