Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagayan de Oro City and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City: $771 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Cagayan de Oro City
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Cagayan de Oro City Living Index
42

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

Jump to prices

Cagayan de Oro City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$771

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cagayan de Oro City $771
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,141 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cagayan de Oro City $1,141
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,511 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cagayan de Oro City $1,511
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Cagayan de Oro City costs roughly 10% 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: Cagayan de Oro City 43% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.68 ₱231

$1.91 ₫49.6K

92.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.80 ₱806

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-43.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 ₱192

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-32.82%

Cappuccino

$2.33 ₱147

$1.85 ₫48.0K

25.95%

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

$0.76 ₱47.91

$0.56 ₫14.6K

35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₱39.98

$0.32 ₫8,185

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.38 ₱86.9

$1.06 ₫27.5K

30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱124

$1.72 ₫44.5K

15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ₱93.4

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.89 ₱56.2

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-19.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-8.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ₱137

$1.67 ₫43.1K

29.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.67 ₱546

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-28.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱207

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-10.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.76 ₱363

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-43.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.05 ₱129

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-30.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₱68.3

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.56 ₫40.3K

52.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.9

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.23 ₫31.9K

56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$2.53 ₱159

$1.15 ₫29.8K

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ₱47.87

$0.74 ₫19.1K

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₱30.30

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ₱190

$1.24 ₫32.1K

143.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.97 ₱250

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-68.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ₱77.0

$0.96 ₫24.9K

27.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ₱122

$1.53 ₫39.6K

26.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.41 ₱25.99

$0.26 ₫6,694

57.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.84 ₱620

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-14.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 ₱39.57

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-16.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.18

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-68.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-35.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$0.96 ₫24.8K

12.50%

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

$21.1K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-31.93%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-37.76%

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

$137 ₱8,600

$102 ₫2.6M

33.95%

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

$22.77 ₱1,433

$5.89 ₫152.5K

286.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.51 ₱1,921

$10.49 ₫271.6K

190.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.70 ₱1,303

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-18.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.87 ₱181

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-75.92%

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 ₱286

$3.53 ₫91.3K

28.90%

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

$66.4 ₱4,181

$436 ₫11.3M

-84.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,257 ₱142.1K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-90.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.71 ₱1,997

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-39.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.08 ₱824

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-61.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.4 ₱3,300

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-41.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$39.65 ₱2,496

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-58.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 ₱23.8K

$589 ₫15.3M

-35.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ₱14.4K

$298 ₫7.7M

-23.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$693 ₱43.7K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-46.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$452 ₱28.5K

$711 ₫18.4M

-36.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,604 ₱101.0K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-65.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$951 ₱59.9K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-50.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$302 ₱19.0K

$490 ₫12.7M

-38.25%

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 Cagayan de Oro City: October 13, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Cagayan de Oro City

$229 29.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 30.3% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagayan de Oro City

$190 24.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 37.7% $72

Groceries & Markets

Cagayan de Oro City

$165 21.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 25.3% $42

Eating Out

Cagayan de Oro City

$83 10.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 23.5% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Cagayan de Oro City

$62 8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 98.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Cagayan de Oro City

$30 3.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 9.4% $2.8

Getting Around

Cagayan de Oro City

$13 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 26.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $377 in Cagayan de Oro City and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 62% 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: $13.00 in Cagayan de Oro City vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $165 vs $207 per month, with Cagayan de Oro City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cagayan de Oro City

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Cagayan de Oro City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

728,402

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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Highest

Between locations

Cagayan de Oro City Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Cagayan de Oro 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

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

Cagayan de Oro City and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($771 vs $859 including rent). Cagayan de Oro City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 62% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $377 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Cagayan de Oro City – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $771 in Cagayan de Oro City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Cagayan de Oro City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Cagayan de Oro City 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, Cagayan de Oro 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.

Expats usually find Cagayan de Oro City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.