Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $950 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu 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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Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $934 in Cebu versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cebu $934
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,415 in Cebu versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cebu $1,415
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,896 in Cebu versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Cebu $1,896
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Cebu is roughly 9% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cebu 30% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ₱191

$1.90 ₫49.2K

59.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.48 ₱1,476

$23.32 ₫603.7K

0.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.09 ₱257

$4.67 ₫121.0K

-12.42%

Cappuccino

$2.52 ₱158

$1.85 ₫48.0K

36.22%

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

$1.54 ₱97.2

$0.56 ₫14.4K

175.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱31.06

$0.34 ₫8,860

44.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.01 ₫26.2K

77.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.69 ₫43.7K

33.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ₱122

$1.58 ₫40.8K

23.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ₱89.9

$1.04 ₫27.0K

37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.0

$0.99 ₫25.7K

3.03%

Eggs

$2.06 ₱129

$1.60 ₫41.5K

28.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.81 ₱617

$12.23 ₫316.7K

-19.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$3.54 ₫91.7K

30.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.70 ₱484

$10.44 ₫270.3K

-26.25%

Apples (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.09 ₫79.9K

7.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 ₱91.2

$1.26 ₫32.5K

15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.57 ₫40.6K

50.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 ₱96.6

$1.26 ₫32.5K

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$2.36 ₱148

$1.17 ₫30.4K

101.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.15 ₫29.7K

73.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ₱72.3

$0.72 ₫18.7K

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ₱42.26

$0.54 ₫14.0K

24.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.00 ₱189

$1.22 ₫31.5K

145.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.35 ₱399

$12.28 ₫317.9K

-48.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₱82.1

$0.98 ₫25.4K

33.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱109

$1.49 ₫38.6K

16.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.28 ₫7,252

-10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.65 ₱796

$11.62 ₫301.0K

8.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₱46.44

$0.73 ₫18.9K

1.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.15

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-67.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.33 ₱272

$3.17 ₫82.0K

36.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₱83.7

$0.95 ₫24.6K

40.00%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$30.7K ₫795.9M

-29.20%

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

$19.4K ₱1.2M

$30.6K ₫791.9M

-36.58%

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

$121 ₱7,583

$102 ₫2.6M

17.87%

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

$14.45 ₱909

$5.65 ₫146.2K

155.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.29 ₱1,779

$10.52 ₫272.3K

168.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.68 ₱2,055

$25.86 ₫669.5K

26.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.39 ₱402

$11.82 ₫306.1K

-45.94%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱343

$3.39 ₫87.8K

61.06%

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

$273 ₱17.2K

$438 ₫11.3M

-37.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,156 ₱512.9K

$23.3K ₫603.3M

-65.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.57 ₱3,117

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-3.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.87 ₱1,564

$34.56 ₫894.6K

-28.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.6 ₱4,817

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-16.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.3 ₱3,727

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-37.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 ₱31.8K

$577 ₫14.9M

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ₱19.5K

$292 ₫7.6M

5.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,052 ₱66.1K

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-18.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 ₱38.9K

$717 ₫18.6M

-13.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,915 ₱183.4K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-38.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,867 ₱117.4K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-0.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$341 ₱21.5K

$486 ₫12.6M

-29.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.64

-16.67%

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

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cebu

$309 33.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 5.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Cebu

$210 22.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 2.3% $4.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cebu

$163 17.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 27.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Cebu

$95 10.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 29.5% $28

Eating Out

Cebu

$88 9.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 28.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Cebu

$44 4.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 25.1% $11

Getting Around

Cebu

$15 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 8.2% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $506 in Cebu and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Cebu vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $206, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Cebu

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

09:23 9:23 AM

08:23 8:23 AM

1 h behind Cebu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

964,169

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cebu Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Cebu
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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: $506 in Cebu versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $934 per month in Cebu versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 9% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $934 in Cebu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cebu 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.