Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulacan: $638 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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 Bulacan
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Bulacan Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Bulacan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $638 in Bulacan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Bulacan $638

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $927 in Bulacan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Bulacan $927

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,215 in Bulacan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Bulacan $1,215

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 34% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Bulacan are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Bulacan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.00 ₱126

-4.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$15.88 ₱1,000

43.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.71 ₱171

67.53%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.79 ₱113

3.35%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.44 ₱27.73

27.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.26 ₱16.40

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.93 ₱58.4

13.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.60 ₱101

7.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.61 ₱102

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.16 ₱73.1

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.95 ₱60.2

5.26%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.79 ₱113

-6.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$2.80 ₱176

331.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.45 ₱217

6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.03 ₱380

69.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.06 ₱130

43.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.56 ₱98.2

-20.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.99 ₱125

-21.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.04 ₱65.4

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.61 ₱102

-23.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.73 ₱109

-33.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.62 ₱39.15

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ₱31.09

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.04 ₱191

-59.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$3.53 ₱222

256.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.89 ₱56.3

7.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.56 ₱98.2

-1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.19 ₱11.82

36.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$6.68 ₱421

72.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.69 ₱43.22

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.15 ₱9.68

346.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.87 ₱118

62.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.06 ₱66.8

-9.43%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

43.32%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.4K ₱1.0M

85.30%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$112 ₱7,034

-8.68%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$17.26 ₱1,087

-65.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.39 ₱1,473

-55.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$37.17 ₱2,341

-31.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$0.78 ₱49.17

1428.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.09 ₱321

-30.65%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$96.7 ₱6,091

351.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$941 ₱59.3K

2374.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$28.48 ₱1,794

85.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.39 ₱1,221

76.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$75.5 ₱4,758

19.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$55.5 ₱3,495

71.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$237 ₱15.0K

148.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$146 ₱9,228

103.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$385 ₱24.3K

235.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$215 ₱13.5K

230.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,879 ₱118.4K

148.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,458 ₱91.8K

30.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$290 ₱18.2K

69.09%

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 Bulacan: 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%

Bulacan

$146 23% 50.8% $151

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Bulacan

$147 23% 29.3% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Bulacan

$81 12.6% 34.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Bulacan

$152 23.9% 28.7% $34

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Bulacan

$56 8.8% 11.4% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Bulacan

$47 7.4% 45.2% $15

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Bulacan

$8.9 1.4% 46.7% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $237 in Bulacan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $16.00 in Bulacan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $147 – making Bulacan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Bulacan

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

02:27 2:27 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,700,000

💱 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 = 62.99 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) Bulacan 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Bulacan

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 Bulacan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 34% more than Bulacan, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $958 in Bulacan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $638 in Bulacan. That's a gap of about 34%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Bulacan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bulacan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Bulacan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bulacan costs $638 versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Bulacan. 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.