Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cavite: $564 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
27

Cost of Living Index in Cavite
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Cavite Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$564

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $564 in Cavite, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Cavite $564

A couple spends around $1,391 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $879 in Cavite, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Cavite $879

A family of three spends $1,930 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,194 in Cavite, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Cavite $1,194

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 51% more than Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cavite are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Cavite 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$2.34 ₱149

-18.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$15.86 ₱1,014

44.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$2.26 ₱144

107.52%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$1.77 ₱113

1.69%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.58 ₱37.32

-5.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.33 ₱21.18

3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.95 ₱60.5

8.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$1.54 ₱98.7

11.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.38 ₱88.1

21.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$1.09 ₱69.6

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$0.89 ₱56.9

19.10%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$1.95 ₱125

-17.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$5.10 ₱326

136.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$3.40 ₱217

7.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$6.12 ₱391

69.12%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$2.03 ₱130

48.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.06 ₱67.7

18.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$2.34 ₱150

-30.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.05 ₱67.4

20.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$1.66 ₱106

-28.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$1.45 ₱92.4

-17.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.49 ₱31.23

59.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.48 ₱30.64

14.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.99 ₱127

-36.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$4.61 ₱295

178.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$0.92 ₱58.8

-2.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.27 ₱81.3

14.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$13.30 ₱850

-14.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.65 ₱41.74

7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.24 ₱15.36

162.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$1.93 ₱123

60.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.17 ₱74.5

-18.80%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$20.6K ₱1.3M

48.42%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

54.52%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$88.2 ₱5,633

15.94%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$13.52 ₱864

-58.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$23.40 ₱1,495

-55.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$46.02 ₱2,940

-58.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$5.03 ₱321

-23.86%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$131 ₱8,387

268.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$10.6K ₱679.7K

119.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$28.81 ₱1,840

81.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$19.03 ₱1,216

80.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$71.4 ₱4,563

29.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$54.4 ₱3,477

73.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$134 ₱8,555

383.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$81.0 ₱5,177

266.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$238 ₱15.2K

442.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$191 ₱12.2K

276.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$222 ₱14.2K

120.96%

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 Cavite: 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%

Cavite

$81 14.4% 72.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Cavite

$150 26.6% 27.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Cavite

$78 13.9% 36.4% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Cavite

$125 22.2% 5.7% $6.8

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Cavite

$58 10.3% 7.8% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Cavite

$56 10% 108% $29

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Cavite

$15 * 2.7% 7.6% $1.2

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $134 in Cavite. 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 2.2 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 Cavite. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $150 – making Cavite the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Cavite

🕒 Local time

03:49 3:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

100,674

💱 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) Cavite 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cavite

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 Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 51%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,279 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $845 in Cavite. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cavite, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $134 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Monthly expenses with rent come to $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $564 in Cavite. That makes Cavite about 34% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $564 in Cavite, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Cavite. 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.