Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Calapan City: $710 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Calapan City
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Calapan City Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Calapan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $710 in Calapan City, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Calapan City $710

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,088 in Calapan City, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Calapan City $1,088

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,467 in Calapan City, rent included.

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 21% more than Calapan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Calapan City are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Calapan City 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.01 ₱252

-52.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.85 ₱1,061

35.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.83 ₱178

60.42%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.25 ₱142

-17.78%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.61 ₱38.53

-8.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.30 ₱19.15

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.13 ₱71.0

-6.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.90 ₱120

-9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.69 ₱107

-1.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.15 ₱72.5

-3.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.97 ₱61.1

3.09%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.92 ₱121

-13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$4.78 ₱301

152.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.23 ₱267

-13.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.03 ₱442

45.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.34 ₱147

26.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.60 ₱101

-22.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.36 ₱149

-33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.14 ₱71.6

14.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.91 ₱120

-35.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.95 ₱123

-41.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.99 ₱62.3

-25.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ₱34.62

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.99 ₱188

-58.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.38 ₱464

70.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.95 ₱59.6

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.95 ₱123

-21.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.24 ₱15.06

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.13 ₱701

3.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.79 ₱49.46

-5.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.20 ₱12.48

235.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.94 ₱122

56.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.05 ₱66.3

-8.57%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$23.0K ₱1.4M

35.16%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$18.8K ₱1.2M

61.79%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$121 ₱7,642

-15.98%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.21 ₱895

-58.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$24.23 ₱1,525

-56.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$32.71 ₱2,059

-21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.12 ₱323

132.81%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.07 ₱319

-30.37%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$125 ₱7,875

248.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,935 ₱499.6K

193.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.35 ₱2,037

63.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.22 ₱1,210

77.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$69.8 ₱4,395

29.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$57.0 ₱3,589

66.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$232 ₱14.6K

154.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$156 ₱9,819

90.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$497 ₱31.3K

159.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$336 ₱21.1K

111.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,385 ₱150.2K

96.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,002 ₱63.1K

90.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$118 ₱7,460

313.18%

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 Calapan City: 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%

Calapan City

$156 22% 47.6% $142

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Calapan City

$177 24.9% 14.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Calapan City

$80 11.3% 34.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Calapan City

$160 22.5% 35% $41

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Calapan City

$81 11.4% 27.1% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Calapan City

$43 6% 31.4% $10

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Calapan City

$14 2% 16.8% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $232 in Calapan City. 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 313% 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 $17.00 in Calapan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $177 – making Calapan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Calapan City

🕒 Local time

11:31 11:31 AM

12:31 12:31 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

145,786

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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) Calapan City 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Calapan City

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 Calapan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 21%, 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 $1,065 in Calapan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $17.00 in Calapan City. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $710 in Calapan City. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Calapan City, where all-in costs run around $710, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Calapan City 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 Calapan City – 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 Calapan City. 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.