Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabanatuan: $603 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Cabanatuan
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Cabanatuan Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Cabanatuan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$603

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $603 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Cabanatuan $603

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $934 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Cabanatuan $934

A family of three spends $1,930 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,265 in Cabanatuan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Cabanatuan $1,265

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 42% more than Cabanatuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cabanatuan are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Cabanatuan 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$3.87 ₱247

-50.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$16.22 ₱1,036

41.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$2.72 ₱174

72.43%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$1.76 ₱112

2.27%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.60 ₱38.22

-8.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.33 ₱21.31

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.99 ₱63.5

4.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$1.60 ₱102

7.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.65 ₱105

1.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.09 ₱69.7

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$0.93 ₱59.1

13.98%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$2.06 ₱132

-22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$4.89 ₱312

147.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$3.28 ₱210

11.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$7.81 ₱499

32.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$2.24 ₱143

34.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.03 ₱66.0

22.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$2.33 ₱149

-30.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$0.76 ₱48.26

67.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.64 ₱105

-28.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.67 ₱107

-28.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.65 ₱41.83

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.49 ₱31.20

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$2.85 ₱182

-55.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$8.41 ₱537

52.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$0.89 ₱57.1

1.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$2.01 ₱129

-27.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.25 ₱15.87

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$12.20 ₱779

-6.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.80 ₱51.4

-12.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.24 ₱15.38

162.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$1.83 ₱117

68.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.98 ₱62.4

-3.06%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$21.0K ₱1.3M

45.37%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

56.41%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$52.5 ₱3,356

94.63%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$17.06 ₱1,090

-66.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$21.33 ₱1,363

-51.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$10.88 ₱695

77.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$4.72 ₱302

150.21%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$5.22 ₱333

-26.63%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$130 ₱8,331

271.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$10.5K ₱671.0K

121.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$23.08 ₱1,475

126.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$18.95 ₱1,211

81.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$59.0 ₱3,771

56.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$55.2 ₱3,530

70.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$261 ₱16.7K

147.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$166 ₱10.6K

78.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$431 ₱27.6K

199.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$308 ₱19.7K

133.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$2,890 ₱184.6K

49.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,257 ₱80.3K

58.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$158 ₱10.1K

210.13%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Cabanatuan: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Cabanatuan

$166 27.6% 44% $131

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Cabanatuan

$166 27.6% 20% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Cabanatuan

$70 11.7% 42.8% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Cabanatuan

$91 15.1% 23.2% $27

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Cabanatuan

$72 12% 14.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Cabanatuan

$21 3.5% 21% $5.7

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Cabanatuan

$15 2.5% 7.3% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $261 in Cabanatuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $16 in Cabanatuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $166 – making Cabanatuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Cabanatuan

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

302,231

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100 PHP = 1.57 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Cabanatuan 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cabanatuan

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 Cabanatuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $603 in Cabanatuan – Cabanatuan comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,279 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $904 in Cabanatuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabanatuan, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $261 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $16 in Cabanatuan. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $603 in Cabanatuan. That makes Cabanatuan about 29% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $603 in Cabanatuan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Cabanatuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Cabanatuan. If higher salaries 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.