Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Binangonan: $727 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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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 Binangonan
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Binangonan Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Binangonan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $727 in Binangonan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Binangonan $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,097 in Binangonan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Binangonan $1,097

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,467 in Binangonan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Binangonan $1,467

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 18% more expensive than in Binangonan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Binangonan 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.86 ₱243

-50.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.81 ₱1,058

35.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.72 ₱171

66.91%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.79 ₱112

3.35%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.56 ₱35.08

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.27 ₱16.77

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.28 ₱80.8

-17.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.56 ₱98.4

10.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.61 ₱101

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.17 ₱73.4

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.84 ₱52.7

19.05%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.82 ₱114

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.17 ₱326

133.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.38 ₱213

8.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.68 ₱484

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.29 ₱144

29.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.38 ₱87.1

-10.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.42 ₱153

-35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.06 ₱66.9

22.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.67 ₱105

-26.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.76 ₱111

-34.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.63 ₱39.65

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.50 ₱31.28

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.93 ₱184

-57.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.48 ₱471

68.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.92 ₱57.8

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.76 ₱111

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.24 ₱14.97

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.27 ₱710

2.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.82 ₱51.6

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.21 ₱13.16

219.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.87 ₱118

62.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.19 ₱75.1

-19.33%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

43.54%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$18.6K ₱1.2M

62.78%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$143 ₱8,977

-28.48%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.37 ₱905

-59.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.13 ₱1,457

-54.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$31.20 ₱1,964

-18.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.75 ₱299

150.95%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.08 ₱320

-30.51%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$73.3 ₱4,613

495.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$2,528 ₱159.2K

820.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.00 ₱1,826

81.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.80 ₱1,247

72.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$70.7 ₱4,449

27.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$55.7 ₱3,508

70.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$266 ₱16.8K

121.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$171 ₱10.7K

74.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$515 ₱32.4K

150.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$354 ₱22.3K

100.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,360 ₱148.6K

98.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,045 ₱65.8K

82.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$420 ₱26.4K

16.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

23.43%

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 Binangonan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Binangonan

$171 23.5% 42.7% $127

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Binangonan

$169 23.2% 18.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Binangonan

$79 10.9% 35.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Binangonan

$180 24.8% 52.2% $62

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Binangonan

$73 10.1% 15.5% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Binangonan

$41 5.7% 26.9% $8.8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Binangonan

$14 1.9% 15.4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $266 in Binangonan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 17% 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 Binangonan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $169 per month, with Binangonan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Binangonan

🕒 Local time

06:45 6:45 AM

07:45 7:45 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

313,631

💱 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) Binangonan 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Binangonan

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 Binangonan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binangonan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $266 in Binangonan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $73.3 in Binangonan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 23% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $727 in Binangonan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binangonan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Binangonan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Binangonan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Binangonan 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 Binangonan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.