Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cotabato City: $764 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Cotabato City
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Cotabato City Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Cotabato City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$764

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $764 in Cotabato City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Cotabato City $764

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,169 in Cotabato City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Cotabato City $1,169

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,574 in Cotabato City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Cotabato City $1,574

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 13% more expensive than in Cotabato City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Cotabato City 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$4.65 ₱293

-57.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$16.57 ₱1,044

39.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.00 ₱252

19.00%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.23 ₱141

-16.59%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$1.04 ₱65.4

-50.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.64 ₱40.49

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.17 ₱73.4

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.91 ₱120

-10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$2.02 ₱127

-21.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.08 ₱68.0

0.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.78 ₱49.16

34.62%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.89 ₱119

-13.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$6.41 ₱404

92.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.67 ₱294

-23.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.06 ₱570

16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.73 ₱172

8.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.11 ₱69.9

13.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.44 ₱154

-33.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.20 ₱75.3

9.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.94 ₱122

-38.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$3.55 ₱224

-67.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.20 ₱75.4

-39.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.71 ₱44.58

-21.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.47 ₱156

-48.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$8.06 ₱507

54.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.22 ₱77.1

-21.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.68 ₱106

-11.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.26 ₱16.40

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$11.02 ₱694

3.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.84 ₱52.8

-19.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.23 ₱14.37

169.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$1.94 ₱122

54.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.18 ₱74.4

-22.88%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$21.5K ₱1.4M

42.33%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

57.17%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$108 ₱6,788

-3.75%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$19.38 ₱1,220

-70.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$31.55 ₱1,986

-66.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$32.71 ₱2,060

-20.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$4.78 ₱301

148.95%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$4.64 ₱292

-16.16%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$107 ₱6,709

312.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,519 ₱473.4K

219.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$33.49 ₱2,109

52.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$19.69 ₱1,240

78.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$71.2 ₱4,483

29.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$60.8 ₱3,825

58.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$270 ₱17.0K

115.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$174 ₱11.0K

70.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$524 ₱33.0K

147.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$357 ₱22.5K

103.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,445 ₱154.0K

95.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$999 ₱62.9K

85.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.31

3.97%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Last update for Cotabato City: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Cotabato City

$174 22.8% 41.4% $123

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Cotabato City

$199 26.1% 4% $8.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Cotabato City

$83 10.9% 32.6% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Cotabato City

$159 20.8% 32.2% $39

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Cotabato City

$92 12.1% 43.6% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Cotabato City

$42 5.5% 24% $8.1

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Cotabato City

$14 1.8% 13.7% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $270 in Cotabato City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Cotabato City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $199 per month, with Cotabato City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Cotabato City

🕒 Local time

02:02 2:02 AM

03:02 3:02 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

325,079

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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) Cotabato City 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Cotabato City wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cotabato City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,146 in Cotabato City to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $270 in Cotabato City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $764 in Cotabato City – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Cotabato City runs roughly 4% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $764 in Cotabato City versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cotabato City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Cotabato City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cotabato City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $764 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cotabato City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cotabato City 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 Cotabato City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.