Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $603 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
Learn more

Cabanatuan Living Index
41

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$603

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $603 per month in Cabanatuan vs $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Cabanatuan $603
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

A couple spends around $934 per month in Cabanatuan vs $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Cabanatuan $934
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

A family of three spends $1,265 per month in Cabanatuan vs $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Cabanatuan $1,265
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

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

Both Cabanatuan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Cabanatuan 56% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 ₱247

$1.91 ₫49.3K

102.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.22 ₱1,036

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-29.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$4.69 ₫121.2K

-42.00%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱112

$1.80 ₫46.5K

-2.22%

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

$0.60 ₱38.22

$0.55 ₫14.3K

9.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₱21.31

$0.34 ₫8,812

-2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.99 ₱63.5

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.72 ₫44.4K

-6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 ₱105

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₱69.7

$1.09 ₫28.2K

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ₱59.1

$1.06 ₫27.3K

-12.26%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱132

$1.60 ₫41.3K

28.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.89 ₱312

$12.08 ₫312.1K

-59.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₱210

$3.66 ₫94.5K

-10.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 ₱499

$10.35 ₫267.3K

-24.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱143

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-25.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ₱66.0

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱149

$1.62 ₫41.9K

43.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.76 ₱48.26

$1.27 ₫32.7K

-40.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 ₱105

$1.18 ₫30.5K

38.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.19 ₫30.7K

40.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ₱41.83

$0.78 ₫20.1K

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.20

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 ₱182

$1.26 ₫32.5K

126.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 ₱537

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-34.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₱57.1

$0.90 ₫23.1K

-1.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₱129

$1.46 ₫37.6K

37.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.87

$0.28 ₫7,260

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.20 ₱779

$11.42 ₫295.0K

6.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 ₱51.4

$0.70 ₫18.2K

14.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ₱15.38

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-61.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.83 ₱117

$3.09 ₫79.8K

-40.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 ₱62.4

$0.95 ₫24.6K

3.16%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-31.21%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$29.7K ₫767.8M

-36.06%

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

$52.5 ₱3,356

$102 ₫2.6M

-48.62%

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

$17.06 ₱1,090

$5.65 ₫145.8K

201.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.33 ₱1,363

$10.43 ₫269.5K

104.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.88 ₱695

$19.30 ₫498.7K

-43.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.72 ₱302

$11.81 ₫305.1K

-60.03%

Cinema Ticket

$5.22 ₱333

$3.83 ₫98.9K

36.29%

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

$130 ₱8,331

$484 ₫12.5M

-73.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K ₱671.0K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-54.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.08 ₱1,475

$52.3 ₫1.4M

-55.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 ₱1,211

$34.35 ₫887.3K

-44.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 ₱3,771

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-36.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.2 ₱3,530

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-41.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$261 ₱16.7K

$647 ₫16.7M

-59.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$166 ₱10.6K

$297 ₫7.7M

-44.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ₱27.6K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-66.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₱19.7K

$719 ₫18.6M

-57.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,890 ₱184.6K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-33.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,257 ₱80.3K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-36.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$158 ₱10.1K

$490 ₫12.7M

-67.76%

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 Cabanatuan: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Cabanatuan

$166 27.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 25% $42

Accommodation & Living

Cabanatuan

$166 27.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 78.6% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 30.1% $27

Eating Out

Cabanatuan

$72 12%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 12.4% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 74.7% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 26.5% $5.7

Getting Around

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 7.9% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $261 in Cabanatuan versus $647 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 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cabanatuan versus $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $208 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind Cabanatuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

302,231

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cabanatuan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cabanatuan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $603 in Cabanatuan, $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $904 per month in Cabanatuan and $1,279 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 Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $261 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Cabanatuan and $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $603 in Cabanatuan and $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That makes Cabanatuan about 29% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $603 in Cabanatuan and $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries 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.