Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cauayan City: $749 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cauayan City
Learn more

Cauayan City Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Cauayan City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Cauayan 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 Cauayan City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $749 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Cauayan City $749

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,083 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Cauayan City $1,083

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,418 in Cauayan City, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Cauayan City $1,418

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 15% more than Cauayan City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cauayan City are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Cauayan City 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.97 ₱250

-51.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$17.01 ₱1,071

34.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.78 ₱175

63.31%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.84 ₱116

0.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.56 ₱35.28

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ₱19.42

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.02 ₱64.2

3.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.55 ₱97.6

10.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.61 ₱101

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.16 ₱72.9

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.04 ₱65.2

-3.85%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.01 ₱127

-16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$4.99 ₱314

142.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.50 ₱220

5.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.91 ₱498

29.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.24 ₱141

32.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.61 ₱101

-22.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.36 ₱149

-33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.02 ₱64.5

27.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.67 ₱105

-26.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.76 ₱111

-34.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.66 ₱41.25

12.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.53 ₱33.43

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.01 ₱189

-58.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.72 ₱549

44.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.91 ₱57.1

5.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.06 ₱130

-25.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.25 ₱15.49

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.80 ₱743

-2.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.79 ₱49.68

-5.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.43

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.96 ₱123

54.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.95 ₱59.6

1.05%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

44.76%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.0K ₱1.2M

59.85%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$142 ₱8,909

-27.93%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$10.52 ₱663

-44.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$22.89 ₱1,441

-54.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$36.28 ₱2,284

-29.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.48 ₱282

166.07%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.31 ₱334

-33.52%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$133 ₱8,362

228.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.7K ₱671.2K

118.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.37 ₱1,849

79.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.82 ₱1,248

72.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$56.1 ₱3,532

60.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$55.1 ₱3,466

72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$271 ₱17.1K

117.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$191 ₱12.1K

55.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$587 ₱37.0K

120.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$302 ₱19.0K

135.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,173 ₱136.8K

115.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,075 ₱67.7K

77.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 Cauayan City: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Cauayan City

$191 25.6% 35.7% $106

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Cauayan City

$175 23.4% 15.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Cauayan City

$72 9.6% 41.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Cauayan City

$175 23.4% 47.8% $57

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Cauayan City

$74 9.9% 16.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Cauayan City

$47 6.3% 43.8% $14

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Cauayan City

$15 2% 11.6% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $271 in Cauayan City. 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 $17.00 in Cauayan City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $175 – making Cauayan City the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Cauayan City

🕒 Local time

04:33 4:33 AM

05:33 5:33 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,616

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Cauayan City 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cauayan 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 Cauayan City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $749 in Cauayan City – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,124 in Cauayan City. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $436 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $133 in Cauayan City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Cauayan City, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Cauayan City it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $749 in Cauayan City to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Cauayan 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.