Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Angeles: $763 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Angeles
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Angeles Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Angeles

🇵🇭 Philippines

$763

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Angeles actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $763 in Angeles.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Angeles $763

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,144 in Angeles.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Angeles $1,144

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,525 in Angeles.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Angeles $1,525

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 12% more expensive than in Angeles, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Angeles 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.24 ₱204

-41.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.57 ₱1,043

37.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.64 ₱166

71.97%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.86 ₱117

-0.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.56 ₱35.42

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ₱19.51

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.98 ₱61.7

8.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.60 ₱101

7.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.57 ₱99.2

5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.30 ₱81.9

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.92 ₱57.6

8.70%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.69 ₱106

-1.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.12 ₱323

135.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.50 ₱220

5.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.84 ₱494

30.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.31 ₱145

28.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.37 ₱86.1

-9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.42 ₱153

-35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.08 ₱67.9

20.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.74 ₱110

-29.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.76 ₱111

-34.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.66 ₱41.33

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.40 ₱25.21

40.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.81 ₱177

-55.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.22 ₱518

53.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.19 ₱74.6

-19.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.43 ₱90.3

6.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.24 ₱15.01

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.83 ₱52.0

-9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ₱15.78

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.96 ₱124

54.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.08 ₱67.9

-11.11%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

46.21%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

58.22%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$176 ₱11.1K

-42.04%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.08 ₱509

-27.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.58 ₱1,485

-55.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$31.20 ₱1,964

-18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.87 ₱496

51.46%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.73 ₱298

-25.37%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$85.9 ₱5,405

408.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,689 ₱484.1K

202.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.26 ₱1,842

80.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.80 ₱1,247

72.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$60.4 ₱3,804

49.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.1 ₱3,532

69.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$339 ₱21.4K

73.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$198 ₱12.5K

50.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$526 ₱33.1K

145.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$430 ₱27.1K

65.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,102 ₱132.3K

122.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$624 ₱39.3K

204.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$335 ₱21.1K

46.22%

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 Angeles: 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%

Angeles

$198 25.9% 33.6% $100

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Angeles

$172 22.5% 17.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Angeles

$75 9.8% 39.2% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Angeles

$208 27.2% 75.4% $89

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Angeles

$68 8.9% 6.8% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Angeles

$41 5.3% 24.7% $8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Angeles

$3 * 0.4% 81.8% $14

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 $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $339 in Angeles. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 46% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Angeles for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $172 per month, with Angeles cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Angeles

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

02:28 2:28 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

462,928

💱 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 = 29,108 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 = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Angeles 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Angeles

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 Angeles: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Angeles wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Angeles the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $339 in Angeles. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $763 in Angeles – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $763 in Angeles versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Angeles but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Angeles the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Angeles delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $763 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Angeles hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Angeles 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 Angeles gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.