Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bohol: $461 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Bohol
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Bohol Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Bohol

🇵🇭 Philippines

$461

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $461 in Bohol, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Bohol $461

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $793 in Bohol, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Bohol $793

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,125 in Bohol, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Bohol $1,125

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 86% more than Bohol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Bohol are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Bohol 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$7.85 ₱494

-75.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$32.23 ₱2,030

-29.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.14 ₱198

44.59%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.96 ₱123

-5.61%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.56 ₱98.0

6.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.92 ₱57.7

20.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.99 ₱62.1

1.01%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.13 ₱134

-21.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$7.55 ₱475

60.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.81 ₱303

-23.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.48 ₱597

8.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.40 ₱88.4

111.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.98 ₱61.7

26.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.90 ₱119

-31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.78 ₱112

-30.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$4.75 ₱299

-75.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.36 ₱148

-68.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.38 ₱86.9

-30.43%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

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

$102 ₫2.6M

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$22.30 ₱1,405

-52.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$14.51 ₱914

76.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.66 ₱356

110.60%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.08 ₱257

-13.48%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$193 ₱12.1K

205.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$161 ₱10.1K

84.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$314 ₱19.8K

311.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$290 ₱18.2K

145.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$526 ₱33.1K

261.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

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 Bohol: 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%

Bohol

$161 35% 45.9% $137

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Bohol

$159 * 34.5% 23.3% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Bohol

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Bohol

$22 * 4.8% 81.2% $96

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Bohol

$96 * 20.8% 50.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Bohol

$23 4.9% 30.5% $9.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Bohol

- * 0% 100%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $193 in Bohol. 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 $32.00 in Bohol. Groceries tell a different story – $207 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $159 in Bohol – so Bohol wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Bohol

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,454

💱 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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Bohol 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Bohol

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 Bohol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 86%, 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 $691 in Bohol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $32.00 in Bohol. 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 Bohol, where all-in costs run around $461, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Bohol 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 Bohol – 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 Bohol. 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.