Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dipolog: $602 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 Dipolog
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Dipolog Living Index
41

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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Dipolog

🇵🇭 Philippines

$602

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $602 per month in Dipolog vs $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Dipolog $602
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

A couple spends around $839 per month in Dipolog vs $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Dipolog $839
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

A family of three spends $1,076 per month in Dipolog vs $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Dipolog $1,076
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱86.9

$1.91 ₫49.3K

-28.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.30 ₱1,233

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-15.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱174

$4.69 ₫121.2K

-42.00%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ₱129

$1.80 ₫46.5K

12.22%

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

$0.64 ₱40.78

$0.55 ₫14.3K

16.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ₱18.75

$0.34 ₫8,812

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 ₱66.6

$1.03 ₫26.7K

0.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱110

$1.72 ₫44.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ₱102

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-4.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 ₱48.93

$1.09 ₫28.2K

-29.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 ₱52.5

$1.06 ₫27.3K

-22.64%

Eggs

$1.87 ₱119

$1.60 ₫41.3K

16.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.77 ₱369

$12.08 ₫312.1K

-52.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.12 ₱263

$3.66 ₫94.5K

12.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.71 ₱365

$10.35 ₫267.3K

-44.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 ₱102

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-46.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱68.7

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-15.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.91 ₱186

$1.62 ₫41.9K

79.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.5

$1.27 ₫32.7K

12.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 ₱118

$1.18 ₫30.5K

55.93%

Onion (1kg)

$2.68 ₱171

$1.19 ₫30.7K

125.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 ₱93.6

$0.78 ₫20.1K

88.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₱39.25

$0.55 ₫14.3K

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ₱194

$1.26 ₫32.5K

141.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.93 ₱251

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-69.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱71.9

$0.90 ₫23.1K

25.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 ₱80.4

$1.46 ₫37.6K

-13.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.72

$0.28 ₫7,260

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.99 ₱702

$11.42 ₫295.0K

-3.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.5

$0.70 ₫18.2K

15.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ₱20.72

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 ₱148

$3.09 ₫79.8K

-24.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.89 ₱57.0

$0.95 ₫24.6K

-6.32%

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

$21.2K ₱1.4M

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-30.55%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$29.7K ₫767.8M

-36.11%

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

$64.3 ₱4,106

$102 ₫2.6M

-37.14%

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

$7.73 ₱494

$5.65 ₫145.8K

36.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.98 ₱1,532

$10.43 ₫269.5K

129.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.70 ₱2,090

$19.30 ₫498.7K

69.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.65 ₱297

$11.81 ₫305.1K

-60.63%

Cinema Ticket

$4.70 ₱300

$3.83 ₫98.9K

22.72%

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

$32.00 ₱2,045

$484 ₫12.5M

-93.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,107 ₱518.0K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-65.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.03 ₱2,111

$52.3 ₫1.4M

-36.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.08 ₱1,219

$34.35 ₫887.3K

-44.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.9 ₱3,574

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-39.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.76 ₱1,518

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-74.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$156 ₱9,955

$647 ₫16.7M

-75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ₱11.0K

$297 ₫7.7M

-42.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 ₱32.7K

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-60.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$134 ₱8,589

$719 ₫18.6M

-81.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,401 ₱153.4K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-44.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 ₱71.5K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-43.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$234 ₱15.0K

$490 ₫12.7M

-52.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.33

8.64

-15.16%

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

Last update for Dipolog: October 25, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Dipolog

$172 28.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 72.8% $125

Groceries & Markets

Dipolog

$163 27%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 27.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dipolog

$96 15.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 23.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Dipolog

$59 9.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 107% $64

Eating Out

Dipolog

$56 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 13.4% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dipolog

$42 7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 36% $15

Getting Around

Dipolog

$14 2.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 13.3% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $156 in Dipolog 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Dipolog versus $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $208 – making Dipolog the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Dipolog

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

00:48 12:48 AM

23:48 11:48 PM

1 h behind Dipolog

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,759

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 = 71.11 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 = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dipolog Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dipolog
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 42% more than Dipolog, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $904 per month in Dipolog 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 Dipolog, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $156 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kindergarten costs $32 per month in Dipolog and $484 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Dipolog, where all-in costs run around $602, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $853. In Dipolog 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 Dipolog – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Dipolog. 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.