Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas 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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Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $496 in Dasmarinas versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dasmarinas $496
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $738 in Dasmarinas versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dasmarinas $738
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $980 in Dasmarinas versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dasmarinas $980
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Dasmarinas costs roughly 43% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dasmarinas 63% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱257

$1.98 ₫51.3K

106.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.95 ₱1,067

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-26.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 ₱171

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-43.07%

Cappuccino

$1.75 ₱110

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-5.91%

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

$0.57 ₱35.76

$0.51 ₫13.3K

11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.30

$0.32 ₫8,191

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 ₱60.1

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-6.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.4

$1.71 ₫44.4K

-7.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-12.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₱69.5

$1.09 ₫28.3K

0.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.36

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-37.14%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$1.64 ₫42.6K

9.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.94 ₱311

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-59.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.49 ₱219

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-2.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 ₱297

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-55.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 ₱143

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-23.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ₱102

$1.26 ₫32.7K

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.38 ₱150

$1.62 ₫42.0K

46.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$1.31 ₫33.8K

-18.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 ₱110

$1.19 ₫30.8K

47.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.14 ₫29.6K

50.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱38.39

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-16.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱32.54

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$1.28 ₫33.0K

125.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.59 ₱541

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₱58.5

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-3.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.48 ₫38.3K

34.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$0.68 ₫17.7K

14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.76

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-59.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₱117

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-38.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 ₱70.1

$0.91 ₫23.5K

21.98%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-30.03%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-35.61%

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

$48.45 ₱3,050

$104 ₫2.7M

-53.31%

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

$17.55 ₱1,105

$5.79 ₫149.9K

203.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.72 ₱1,494

$10.48 ₫271.3K

126.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.43 ₱2,105

$26.08 ₫675.1K

28.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

Cinema Ticket

$5.30 ₱334

$3.89 ₫100.7K

36.25%

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

$134 ₱8,415

$440 ₫11.4M

-69.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K ₱674.0K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-55.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.53 ₱1,796

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-44.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.5 ₱4,561

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.4 ₱3,552

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-41.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$46.95 ₱2,956

$297 ₫7.7M

-84.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$353 ₱22.2K

$490 ₫12.7M

-28.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.4

8.64

-25.93%

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

Last update for Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 29.7% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 33.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 55.2% $44

Eating Out

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 12.1% $8.9

Accommodation & Living

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 532% $250

Sport & Entertainment

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 23.1% $10

Getting Around

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 701% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 39% 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: $17.00 in Dasmarinas vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $208 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:20 6:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h behind Dasmarinas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

659,019

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 20, 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 20, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dasmarinas Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dasmarinas
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

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

Dasmarinas and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($496 vs $862 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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.

Childcare runs $134 in Dasmarinas versus $440 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 Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas 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, Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.