Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $710 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan 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

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Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$710

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $710 per month in Calapan City vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Calapan City $710
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,088 per month in Calapan City vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Calapan City $1,088
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,467 per month in Calapan City vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Calapan City $1,467
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Calapan City is about 17% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Calapan City and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Calapan City 47% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.01 ₱252

$1.91 ₫49.6K

109.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.85 ₱1,061

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-26.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.83 ₱178

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-37.67%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ₱142

$1.85 ₫48.0K

21.62%

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

$0.61 ₱38.53

$0.56 ₫14.6K

8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.15

$0.32 ₫8,185

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 ₱71.0

$1.06 ₫27.5K

6.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₱120

$1.72 ₫44.5K

10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.66 ₫42.9K

1.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.11 ₫28.7K

3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.1

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-3.00%

Eggs

$1.92 ₱121

$1.67 ₫43.1K

14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.78 ₱301

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-60.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.23 ₱267

$3.68 ₫95.2K

14.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.03 ₱442

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-31.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.34 ₱147

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-20.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 ₱101

$1.24 ₫32.2K

29.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱149

$1.56 ₫40.3K

51.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 ₱71.6

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-12.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.91 ₱120

$1.23 ₫31.9K

55.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.15 ₫29.8K

69.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₱62.3

$0.74 ₫19.1K

33.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.62

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$1.24 ₫32.1K

141.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.38 ₱464

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-41.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₱59.6

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-1.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.53 ₫39.6K

27.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.06

$0.26 ₫6,694

-7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 ₱701

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-3.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.46

$0.75 ₫19.5K

5.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.48

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-70.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-35.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 ₱66.3

$0.96 ₫24.8K

9.38%

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

$23.0K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-26.01%

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

$18.8K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-38.19%

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

$121 ₱7,642

$102 ₫2.6M

19.01%

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

$14.21 ₱895

$5.89 ₫152.5K

141.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.23 ₱1,525

$10.49 ₫271.6K

130.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.71 ₱2,059

$25.54 ₫661.2K

28.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ₱323

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-57.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$3.53 ₫91.3K

43.63%

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

$125 ₱7,875

$436 ₫11.3M

-71.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,935 ₱499.6K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-65.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.35 ₱2,037

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.22 ₱1,210

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-43.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.8 ₱4,395

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-22.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.0 ₱3,589

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 ₱14.6K

$589 ₫15.3M

-60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₱9,819

$298 ₫7.7M

-47.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 ₱31.3K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-61.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$336 ₱21.1K

$711 ₫18.4M

-52.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,385 ₱150.2K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-49.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,002 ₱63.1K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-47.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$118 ₱7,460

$490 ₫12.7M

-75.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.64

-21.41%

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

Last update for Calapan 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

Calapan City

$177 24.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 17.3% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calapan City

$160 22.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 25.9% $41

Accommodation & Living

Calapan City

$156 22%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 91% $142

Eating Out

Calapan City

$81 11.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 21.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Calapan City

$80 11.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 52.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Calapan City

$43 6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 23.9% $10

Getting Around

Calapan City

$14 2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 20.1% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $232 in Calapan City 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 313% 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 $17.00 in Calapan City versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $177 vs $207 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

10:56 10:56 AM

1 h behind Calapan City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,786

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 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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Calapan 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

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

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,065 per month in Calapan City 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 Calapan City, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in Calapan City and $23.00 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 $710 in Calapan City and $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Calapan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Calapan City. 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.