Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in El Nido: $739 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in El Nido
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El Nido 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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El Nido

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $739 per month in El Nido vs $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

El Nido $739
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

A couple spends around $1,148 per month in El Nido vs $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

El Nido $1,148
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

A family of three spends $1,557 per month in El Nido vs $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

El Nido $1,557
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

El Nido is about 14% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both El Nido and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – El Nido 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.84 ₱305

$1.98 ₫51.3K

144.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.13 ₱1,771

$23.14 ₫599.0K

21.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.70 ₱233

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-22.27%

Cappuccino

$2.25 ₱142

$1.86 ₫48.1K

20.97%

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

$1.17 ₱73.8

$0.51 ₫13.3K

129.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱20.45

$0.32 ₫8,191

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ₱81.8

$1.03 ₫26.7K

26.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ₱125

$1.71 ₫44.4K

16.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.58 ₫40.8K

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₱63.1

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.4

$1.05 ₫27.2K

22.86%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.64 ₫42.6K

18.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 ₱336

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-56.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.98 ₱250

$3.58 ₫92.6K

11.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.98 ₱439

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 ₱142

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-24.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ₱97.1

$1.26 ₫32.7K

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.62 ₫42.0K

39.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱72.8

$1.31 ₫33.8K

-11.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.19 ₫30.8K

63.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 ₱127

$1.14 ₫29.6K

76.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$0.73 ₫18.8K

26.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.65

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 ₱211

$1.28 ₫33.0K

161.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.24 ₱456

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-41.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ₱62.9

$0.96 ₫24.9K

4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.48 ₫38.3K

26.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.24 ₱15.07

$0.26 ₫6,704

-7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.28 ₱648

$11.43 ₫296.0K

-10.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.85 ₱53.8

$0.68 ₫17.7K

25.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-67.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 ₱108

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-42.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ₱82.3

$0.91 ₫23.5K

43.96%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-37.25%

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

$21.6K ₱1.4M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-26.45%

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

$121 ₱7,638

$104 ₫2.7M

16.90%

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

$14.38 ₱906

$5.79 ₫149.9K

148.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.44 ₱1,539

$10.48 ₫271.3K

133.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.90 ₱2,197

$26.08 ₫675.1K

33.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.99 ₱251

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-66.47%

Cinema Ticket

$5.23 ₱329

$3.89 ₫100.7K

34.45%

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

$124 ₱7,818

$440 ₫11.4M

-71.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,869 ₱432.4K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-71.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 ₱2,132

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-33.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.81 ₱1,185

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-46.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.9 ₱4,211

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-27.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.95 ₱3,145

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-48.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$269 ₱17.0K

$582 ₫15.1M

-53.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$177 ₱11.2K

$297 ₫7.7M

-40.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ₱33.7K

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-58.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$358 ₱22.5K

$727 ₫18.8M

-50.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,607 ₱164.1K

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-45.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$900 ₱56.7K

$1,853 ₫48.0M

-51.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 ₱16.2K

$490 ₫12.7M

-47.61%

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 El Nido: October 19, 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.

Accommodation & Living

El Nido

$177 24%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 67.4% $119

Groceries & Markets

El Nido

$174 23.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 19.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

El Nido

$160 21.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 25% $40

Eating Out

El Nido

$93 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 31% $29

Clothing & Footwear

El Nido

$76 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 62.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

El Nido

$45 6.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 25.4% $12

Getting Around

El Nido

$13 1.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 24.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in El Nido versus $582 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 91% 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 $28.00 in El Nido versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries tell a different story – $174 in El Nido vs $208 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – so El Nido wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇭 El Nido

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

20:35 8:35 PM

1 h behind El Nido

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,494

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

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Between locations

El Nido Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

El Nido
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $739 in El Nido, $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,109 per month in El Nido and $1,294 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 El Nido, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 11% less in El Nido. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $124 per month in El Nido and $440 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Nido, where all-in costs run around $739, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $862. In El Nido it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $739 in El Nido to $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 El Nido. 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.