Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Alabang: $740 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Alabang
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Alabang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Alabang

🇵🇭 Philippines

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Alabang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Alabang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $740 in Alabang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Alabang $740

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,123 in Alabang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Alabang $1,123

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,506 in Alabang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Alabang $1,506

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 16% more than Alabang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.02 ₱253

-52.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.41 ₱1,222

17.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.85 ₱179

59.30%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.41 ₱152

-23.24%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.74 ₱46.70

-24.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ₱19.42

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.99 ₱62.3

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.95 ₱123

-11.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.63 ₱102

1.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.16 ₱73.1

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.90 ₱56.6

11.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.76 ₱111

-5.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.21 ₱328

131.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.51 ₱221

4.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.90 ₱435

48.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.22 ₱140

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.38 ₱86.6

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.30 ₱145

-32.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.03 ₱65.2

26.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.68 ₱106

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.71 ₱108

-32.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.67 ₱42.07

10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.50 ₱31.47

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.82 ₱177

-56.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.36 ₱463

71.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.98 ₱62.0

-2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.75 ₱110

-12.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.27 ₱17.25

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.43 ₱783

-7.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.84 ₱52.9

-10.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.21 ₱13.18

219.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.89 ₱119

60.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.20 ₱75.5

-20.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

44.03%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

61.85%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$143 ₱8,974

-28.46%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.41 ₱907

-59.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.56 ₱1,484

-55.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$34.52 ₱2,174

-26.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.53 ₱285

163.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.33 ₱336

-33.77%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$74.1 ₱4,664

489.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$2,528 ₱159.1K

821.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$28.82 ₱1,815

83.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.68 ₱1,239

73.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$72.1 ₱4,536

25.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.4 ₱3,548

68.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$222 ₱14.0K

165.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$170 ₱10.7K

75.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$513 ₱32.3K

151.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$356 ₱22.4K

99.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,233 ₱140.6K

109.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$903 ₱56.9K

110.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.75

28.00%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Alabang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Alabang

$170 23% 43% $128

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Alabang

$166 22.5% 19.7% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Alabang

$80 10.8% 35% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Alabang

$181 24.4% 52.5% $62

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Alabang

$83 11.2% 30.3% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Alabang

$45 6.1% 38.6% $13

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Alabang

$15 2.1% 7.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $222 in Alabang. 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $19.00 in Alabang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $166 – making Alabang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Alabang

🕒 Local time

06:46 6:46 AM

07:46 7:46 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

71,075

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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).

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).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Alabang 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Alabang

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

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

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 16%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,109 in Alabang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Alabang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $19.00 in Alabang. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Alabang, where all-in costs run around $740, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Alabang 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 Alabang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Alabang. 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.