Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Dumaguete: $791 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $820 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Dumaguete
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Dumaguete Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Dumaguete

🇵🇭 Philippines

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $791 in Dumaguete.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Dumaguete $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,202 in Dumaguete.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Dumaguete $1,202

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,612 in Dumaguete.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Dumaguete $1,612

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 9% more expensive than in Dumaguete, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Dumaguete 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.85 ₱242

-50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.19 ₱1,020

41.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.17 ₱262

8.87%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.27 ₱143

-18.50%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.72 ₱45.42

-22.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.44 ₱27.45

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.34 ₱84.2

-20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.85 ₱117

-7.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.61 ₱101

3.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.33 ₱83.9

-16.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.95 ₱59.6

5.26%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.75 ₱110

-4.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$8.39 ₱528

43.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.40 ₱277

-16.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.01 ₱441

46.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.63 ₱103

81.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.30 ₱82.0

-4.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.51 ₱221

-55.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.25 ₱78.7

4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.43 ₱153

-49.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.57 ₱98.8

-26.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.79 ₱49.58

-6.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 ₱34.27

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.32 ₱146

-46.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.84 ₱557

42.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.20 ₱75.7

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.26 ₱79.1

21.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.41 ₱25.84

-36.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$10.09 ₱635

14.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.69 ₱43.64

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.17 ₱10.41

294.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.19 ₱138

38.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.06 ₱66.7

-9.43%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

48.74%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$24.1K ₱1.5M

25.79%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$67.1 ₱4,227

51.89%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$10.05 ₱632

-41.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$25.78 ₱1,623

-59.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$23.76 ₱1,496

7.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.06 ₱256

193.60%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.23 ₱455

-51.18%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$57.8 ₱3,639

655.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$1,698 ₱106.9K

1270.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$94.4 ₱5,945

-44.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$32.11 ₱2,022

6.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$102 ₱6,429

-11.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$112 ₱7,053

-15.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$238 ₱15.0K

147.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$207 ₱13.0K

43.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$429 ₱27.0K

201.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$359 ₱22.6K

98.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,082 ₱194.0K

51.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$693 ₱43.7K

174.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$276 ₱17.4K

77.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

23.43%

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 Dumaguete: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Dumaguete

$207 26.2% 30.5% $91

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Dumaguete

$191 24.1% 7.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Dumaguete

$153 19.4% 25.2% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Dumaguete

$103 13% 13% $15

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Dumaguete

$86 10.8% 34.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Dumaguete

$38 4.8% 17.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Dumaguete

$13 1.7% 20.4% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $238 in Dumaguete. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 77% 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 $16.00 in Dumaguete for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $191 per month, with Dumaguete cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Dumaguete

🕒 Local time

11:26 11:26 AM

12:26 12:26 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

134,103

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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) Dumaguete 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Dumaguete

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 Dumaguete: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Dumaguete differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $791 including rent). Dumaguete is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 77% 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $238 in Dumaguete. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $791 in Dumaguete – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Dumaguete runs roughly 14% 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 $791 in Dumaguete versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Dumaguete but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete 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 Dumaguete gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.