Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bacong: $647 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Bacong
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Bacong Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Bacong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $647 in Bacong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Bacong $647

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $981 in Bacong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Bacong $981

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,314 in Bacong, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Bacong $1,314

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 33% more than Bacong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Bacong are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Bacong 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.73 ₱172

-30.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$18.84 ₱1,186

21.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.14 ₱198

44.59%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.02 ₱127

-8.42%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.68 ₱42.84

-17.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.33 ₱20.79

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.92 ₱57.9

15.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.72 ₱108

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.60 ₱101

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.15 ₱72.5

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.88 ₱55.4

13.64%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.07 ₱130

-19.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.95 ₱374

103.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.98 ₱251

-7.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.30 ₱397

62.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.28 ₱206

-9.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.08 ₱67.8

14.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.93 ₱184

-46.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.43 ₱90.3

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.38 ₱150

-48.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.72 ₱172

-57.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.39 ₱87.6

-46.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.81 ₱51.3

-30.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.99 ₱188

-58.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.46 ₱407

95.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.08 ₱67.8

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.31 ₱82.3

16.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.22 ₱14.13

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$9.96 ₱627

15.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.79 ₱49.61

-5.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.36 ₱22.84

86.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.45 ₱155

23.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.99 ₱62.6

-3.03%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

47.64%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

60.04%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$51.4 ₱3,233

98.56%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.28 ₱584

-36.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.26 ₱1,716

-61.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$32.11 ₱2,022

-20.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$3.98 ₱251

199.50%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.66 ₱294

-24.25%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$32.30 ₱2,034

1251.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,576 ₱539.9K

171.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$33.62 ₱2,117

56.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.41 ₱1,222

75.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$56.3 ₱3,543

60.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$23.62 ₱1,487

302.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$147 ₱9,270

300.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$191 ₱12.0K

56.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$587 ₱36.9K

120.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$305 ₱19.2K

133.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,384 ₱150.1K

96.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,056 ₱66.5K

80.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.33

17.87%

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 Bacong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Bacong

$191 29.5% 36% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Bacong

$187 28.8% 10% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Bacong

$60 9.2% 51.2% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Bacong

$88 13.6% 25.7% $30

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Bacong

$68 10.4% 6.4% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Bacong

$41 6.4% 27.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Bacong

$13 2.1% 19.2% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $147 in Bacong. 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 Bacong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $187 – making Bacong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Bacong

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

08:38 8:38 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

41,207

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Bacong 1,820 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Bacong

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 Bacong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 33%, 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 $971 in Bacong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $647 in Bacong. That's a gap of about 33%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bacong, where all-in costs run around $647, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Bacong 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 Bacong – 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 Bacong. 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.