Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in General Trias: $626 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.

30

Cost of Living Index in General Trias
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General Trias 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 Trias

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $626 per month in General Trias vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

General Trias $626
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $979 per month in General Trias vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

General Trias $979
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,332 per month in General Trias vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

General Trias $1,332
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

General Trias is about 27% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both General Trias and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – General Trias 54% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 ₱245

$1.91 ₫49.6K

103.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.52 ₱1,040

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-27.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.53 ₱160

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-44.27%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₱117

$1.85 ₫48.0K

0.54%

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

$0.41 ₱26.11

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-26.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.33

$0.32 ₫8,185

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₱93.6

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-13.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.66 ₫42.9K

1.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 ₱73.0

$1.11 ₫28.7K

4.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.1

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-6.00%

Eggs

$2.07 ₱130

$1.67 ₫43.1K

23.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.21 ₱328

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-56.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ₱218

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-6.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.65 ₱481

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱139

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-25.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ₱97.7

$1.24 ₫32.2K

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 ₱151

$1.56 ₫40.3K

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.5

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-21.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.68 ₱106

$1.23 ₫31.9K

36.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 ₱112

$1.15 ₫29.8K

54.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.05

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-9.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.24

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ₱191

$1.24 ₫32.1K

144.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.80 ₱554

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-30.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱57.8

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 ₱131

$1.53 ₫39.6K

36.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱14.09

$0.26 ₫6,694

-15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.75 ₱740

$11.51 ₫297.9K

2.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.93

$0.75 ₫19.5K

4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.46

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-65.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱121

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-36.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.2

$0.96 ₫24.8K

23.96%

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

$11.6K ₱731.6K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-62.59%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-35.67%

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

$31.82 ₱2,003

$102 ₫2.6M

-68.80%

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

$17.20 ₱1,083

$5.89 ₫152.5K

192.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.84 ₱1,375

$10.49 ₫271.6K

108.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.64 ₱2,307

$25.54 ₫661.2K

43.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.04 ₱318

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-57.72%

Cinema Ticket

$5.31 ₱334

$3.53 ₫91.3K

50.42%

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

$134 ₱8,451

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱667.3K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-54.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.34 ₱1,784

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-46.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.59 ₱1,234

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-42.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.4 ₱4,494

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-20.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.1 ₱3,532

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-40.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$97.4 ₱6,132

$589 ₫15.3M

-83.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.5K

$298 ₫7.7M

-44.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 ₱32.4K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-60.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$711 ₫18.4M

-57.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 ₱134.5K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-54.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,112 ₱70.0K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-41.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.64

-21.88%

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

Last update for General Trias: 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 Trias

$175 28%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 18.2% $32

Accommodation & Living

General Trias

$167 26.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 78.7% $131

Clothing & Footwear

General Trias

$79 12.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 55.2% $44

Eating Out

General Trias

$72 11.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 11.9% $8.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

General Trias

$71 11.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 67% $48

Sport & Entertainment

General Trias

$47 7.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 31% $15

Getting Around

General Trias

$15 2.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 14.3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $97.4 in General Trias versus $589 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $17.00 in General Trias versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $207 – making General Trias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 General Trias

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

1 h behind General Trias

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

450,583

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 17, 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 17, 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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General Trias Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 37% more than General Trias, 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 $938 per month in General Trias and $1,288 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 General Trias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 2% less in General Trias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $134 per month in General Trias and $436 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Trias, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In General Trias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. General Trias costs $626 versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 General Trias. 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.