Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dasmarinas: $496 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Dasmarinas
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Dasmarinas Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Dasmarinas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $496 in Dasmarinas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Dasmarinas $496

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $738 in Dasmarinas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Dasmarinas $738

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $980 in Dasmarinas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Dasmarinas $980

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 74% more expensive than in Dasmarinas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Dasmarinas 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$4.08 ₱257

-51.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$16.95 ₱1,067

36.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$2.71 ₱171

75.65%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.75 ₱110

6.29%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.57 ₱35.76

-10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.31 ₱19.30

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.96 ₱60.1

7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.58 ₱99.4

8.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.39 ₱87.5

13.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.10 ₱69.5

-0.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.66 ₱41.36

59.09%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.79 ₱113

-8.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$4.94 ₱311

149.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$3.49 ₱219

2.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$4.72 ₱297

123.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.26 ₱143

31.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.61 ₱102

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.38 ₱150

-31.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.07 ₱67.3

22.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.75 ₱110

-32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.72 ₱108

-33.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.61 ₱38.39

19.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.52 ₱32.54

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.88 ₱181

-55.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$8.59 ₱541

45.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.93 ₱58.5

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.99 ₱125

-25.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.78 ₱48.96

-12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.25 ₱15.76

148.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$1.85 ₱117

62.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.11 ₱70.1

-18.02%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$21.4K ₱1.3M

42.91%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$18.9K ₱1.2M

55.30%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$48.45 ₱3,050

114.18%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$17.55 ₱1,105

-67.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$23.72 ₱1,494

-55.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$33.43 ₱2,105

-21.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.30 ₱334

-26.60%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$134 ₱8,415

229.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$10.7K ₱674.0K

124.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$28.53 ₱1,796

78.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$19.55 ₱1,231

79.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$72.5 ₱4,561

27.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$56.4 ₱3,552

71.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$46.95 ₱2,956

531.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$353 ₱22.2K

38.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.4

35.00%

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 Dasmarinas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Dasmarinas

$47 9.5% 84.2% $250

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Dasmarinas

$160 32.3% 22.9% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Dasmarinas

$80 16.1% 35.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Dasmarinas

$90 18.1% 25.3% $30

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Dasmarinas

$73 14.8% 13.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Dasmarinas

$44 8.9% 30% $10

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Dasmarinas

$2 * 0.4% 87.5% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 39% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Dasmarinas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $160 per month, with Dasmarinas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Dasmarinas

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

659,019

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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) Dasmarinas 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Dasmarinas

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 Dasmarinas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Dasmarinas differ by about 74% in total monthly costs ($862 vs $496 including rent). Dasmarinas is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 39% 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.

Childcare runs $440 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $134 in Dasmarinas. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Dasmarinas – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $496 in Dasmarinas versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dasmarinas but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Dasmarinas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Dasmarinas 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 Dasmarinas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 74% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.