Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $855 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $950 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
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Cebu Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $934 in Cebu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Cebu $1,896

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 8% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$3.03 ₱191

-37.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$23.48 ₱1,476

-0.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$4.09 ₱257

14.18%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.52 ₱158

-26.59%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.54 ₱97.2

-63.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$0.49 ₱31.06

-30.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.79 ₱113

-43.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$2.26 ₱142

-25.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.95 ₱122

-18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.43 ₱89.9

-27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.02 ₱64.0

-2.94%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.06 ₱129

-22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$9.81 ₱617

24.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.61 ₱290

-23.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$7.70 ₱484

35.58%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.31 ₱208

-6.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.45 ₱91.2

-13.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$2.36 ₱148

-33.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.54 ₱96.6

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$2.36 ₱148

-50.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.99 ₱125

-42.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.15 ₱72.3

-37.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.67 ₱42.26

-19.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.00 ₱189

-59.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$6.35 ₱399

93.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.31 ₱82.1

-25.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$1.73 ₱109

-13.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.25 ₱15.82

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$12.65 ₱796

-8.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.74 ₱46.44

-1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.21 ₱13.15

204.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$4.33 ₱272

-26.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.33 ₱83.7

-28.57%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

41.24%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

57.68%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$121 ₱7,583

-15.16%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$14.45 ₱909

-60.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$28.29 ₱1,779

-62.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$32.68 ₱2,055

-20.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$6.39 ₱402

84.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$5.46 ₱343

-37.91%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$273 ₱17.2K

60.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$8,156 ₱512.9K

185.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$49.57 ₱3,117

3.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$24.87 ₱1,564

38.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$76.6 ₱4,817

19.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$59.3 ₱3,727

60.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$506 ₱31.8K

14.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$309 ₱19.5K

-5.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$1,052 ₱66.1K

22.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$619 ₱38.9K

15.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,915 ₱183.4K

61.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,867 ₱117.4K

0.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$341 ₱21.5K

42.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.2

20.00%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 5.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 2.4% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 22.8% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 37.9% $45

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 39.2% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 33.6% $11

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 7.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 42% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $23.00 in Cebu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $210 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

07:37 7:37 AM

08:37 8:37 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

964,169

💱 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 = 1.42 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.54 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Cebu 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 9% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $934 in Cebu – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 9% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $934 in Cebu, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Cebu. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cebu, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cebu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.