Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in General Santos: $628 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in General Santos
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General Santos 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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General Santos

🇵🇭 Philippines

$628

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $628 in General Santos versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

General Santos $628
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,009 in General Santos versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

General Santos $1,009
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,391 in General Santos versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

General Santos $1,391
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in General Santos costs roughly 27% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: General Santos 53% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.38 ₱213

$1.91 ₫49.6K

76.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.40 ₱1,725

$22.84 ₫591.2K

19.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.72 ₱172

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-40.09%

Cappuccino

$2.56 ₱161

$1.85 ₫48.0K

38.38%

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

$0.28 ₱17.41

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ₱15.83

$0.32 ₫8,185

-21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$1.06 ₫27.5K

49.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₱147

$1.72 ₫44.5K

36.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.66 ₫42.9K

20.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 ₱68.2

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.7

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-13.00%

Eggs

$1.86 ₱117

$1.67 ₫43.1K

11.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.38 ₱402

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-47.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.77 ₱300

$3.68 ₫95.2K

29.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ₱582

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-9.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 ₱172

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-7.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₱67.2

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 ₱154

$1.56 ₫40.3K

57.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ₱74.6

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-8.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.98 ₱125

$1.23 ₫31.9K

60.98%

Onion (1kg)

$3.28 ₱207

$1.15 ₫29.8K

185.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 ₱78.2

$0.74 ₫19.1K

67.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 ₱42.60

$0.56 ₫14.4K

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 ₱155

$1.24 ₫32.1K

98.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 ₱488

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-38.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 ₱78.5

$0.96 ₫24.9K

30.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.53 ₫39.6K

9.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₱24.37

$0.26 ₫6,694

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.15 ₱513

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-29.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱49.25

$0.75 ₫19.5K

4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.79

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-62.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 ₱51.4

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-72.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 ₱70.7

$0.96 ₫24.8K

16.67%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-32.82%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-37.02%

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

$76.6 ₱4,825

$102 ₫2.6M

-24.85%

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

$6.53 ₱411

$5.89 ₫152.5K

10.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.67 ₱1,994

$10.49 ₫271.6K

201.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$4.91 ₱309

$3.53 ₫91.3K

39.09%

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

$109 ₱6,840

$436 ₫11.3M

-75.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,532 ₱474.2K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-67.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.8 ₱3,767

$52.8 ₫1.4M

13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.67 ₱1,931

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-10.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 ₱4,428

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-22.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 ₱3,823

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-36.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$174 ₱11.0K

$589 ₫15.3M

-70.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$112 ₱7,068

$298 ₫7.7M

-62.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 ₱22.6K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-72.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ₱15.0K

$711 ₫18.4M

-66.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.31

8.64

-3.82%

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

Last update for General Santos: October 11, 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

General Santos

$199 31.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 4.1% $8.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Santos

$115 18.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 3.1% $3.5

Accommodation & Living

General Santos

$112 17.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 165% $186

Clothing & Footwear

General Santos

$100 15.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 22.8% $23

Eating Out

General Santos

$81 12.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 21.3% $17

Getting Around

General Santos

$12 1.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 41.8% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

General Santos

$9.8 * 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 232% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $174 in General Santos and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27.00 in General Santos vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $207, with General Santos cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Santos

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:26 8:26 AM

07:26 7:26 AM

1 h behind General Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,315

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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Highest

Between locations

General Santos Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

General Santos
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

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

General Santos wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making General Santos the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $942 in General Santos and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $174 in General Santos versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in General Santos – a meal for two runs $27.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $628 per month in General Santos versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $628 in General Santos versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in General Santos but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes General Santos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but General Santos delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $628 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes General Santos hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, General Santos 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 General Santos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.