Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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 Boracay
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Boracay Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $772 in Boracay.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Boracay $772

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,313 in Boracay.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Boracay $1,313

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,854 in Boracay.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Boracay $1,854

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 11% more expensive than in Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$5.73 ₱361

-66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.15 ₱1,206

19.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.94 ₱374

-23.57%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.37 ₱149

-21.94%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.70 ₱43.78

-20.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.23 ₱14.44

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.92 ₱121

-10.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.95 ₱186

-43.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.98 ₱61.9

13.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.89 ₱56.3

12.36%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.93 ₱122

-13.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.13 ₱323

135.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.78 ₱301

-23.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.28 ₱459

40.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.51 ₱158

17.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.59 ₱100

-22.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.21 ₱139

-29.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.08 ₱67.9

20.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.11 ₱133

-41.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.02 ₱127

-43.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.99 ₱62.5

-25.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.57 ₱35.84

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.28 ₱144

-45.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.76 ₱489

62.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.96 ₱60.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.75 ₱110

-12.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.24 ₱15.09

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.23 ₱707

2.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.66 ₱41.52

13.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.18

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.94 ₱122

56.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.11 ₱69.7

-13.51%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$23.7K ₱1.5M

31.30%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$22.0K ₱1.4M

37.80%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$111 ₱6,979

-7.99%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.23 ₱896

-58.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$33.84 ₱2,131

-69.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$29.95 ₱1,886

-14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.12 ₱323

132.81%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.26 ₱331

-32.89%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$136 ₱8,591

219.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,041 ₱506.2K

189.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$36.09 ₱2,272

46.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.21 ₱1,209

77.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$75.8 ₱4,773

19.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$59.1 ₱3,723

60.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$268 ₱16.9K

119.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$174 ₱10.9K

71.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$523 ₱32.9K

147.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$614 ₱38.6K

15.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,441 ₱153.7K

91.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$979 ₱61.7K

94.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$229 ₱14.4K

113.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.79

27.25%

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 Boracay: 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%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 41.6% $124

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Boracay

$193 25% 6.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 30.1% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 34.3% $41

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 66.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 24.1% $7.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 16.1% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $268 in Boracay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 114% 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 $19.00 in Boracay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $193 per month, with Boracay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 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

12,296

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Boracay 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Boracay differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $772 including rent). Boracay is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 114% 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 $268 in Boracay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Boracay – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $772 in Boracay versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Boracay but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Boracay the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Boracay 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 Boracay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.