Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in General Trias: $626 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in General Trias
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General Trias Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

General Trias

🇵🇭 Philippines

$626

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $626 in General Trias, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
General Trias $626

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $979 in General Trias, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
General Trias $979

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,332 in General Trias, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
General Trias $1,332

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 37% more than General Trias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and General Trias are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, General Trias 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.89 ₱245

-50.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.52 ₱1,040

38.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.53 ₱160

79.45%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.86 ₱117

-0.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.41 ₱26.11

36.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ₱19.33

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.03 ₱64.6

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.49 ₱93.6

15.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.68 ₱106

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.16 ₱73.0

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.94 ₱59.1

6.38%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.07 ₱130

-19.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.21 ₱328

131.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.45 ₱218

6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.65 ₱481

33.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.20 ₱139

34.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.55 ₱97.7

-20.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.40 ₱151

-35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.02 ₱64.5

27.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.68 ₱106

-26.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.78 ₱112

-35.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.67 ₱42.05

10.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.53 ₱33.24

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.03 ₱191

-59.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.80 ₱554

43.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.92 ₱57.8

4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.09 ₱131

-26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.22 ₱14.09

18.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.75 ₱740

-2.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.78 ₱48.93

-3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.46

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.93 ₱121

56.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.19 ₱75.2

-19.33%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$11.6K ₱731.6K

167.34%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

55.44%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$31.82 ₱2,003

220.49%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$17.20 ₱1,083

-65.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$21.84 ₱1,375

-51.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$36.64 ₱2,307

-30.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$5.04 ₱318

136.51%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.31 ₱334

-33.52%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$134 ₱8,451

225.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.6K ₱667.3K

119.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$28.34 ₱1,784

86.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.59 ₱1,234

74.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$71.4 ₱4,494

26.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.1 ₱3,532

69.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$97.4 ₱6,132

505.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$167 ₱10.5K

78.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$514 ₱32.4K

151.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$302 ₱19.0K

135.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,136 ₱134.5K

118.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,112 ₱70.0K

71.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 10, 2026

Last update for General Trias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

General Trias

$167 26.6% 44% $131

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

General Trias

$175 28% 15.4% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

General Trias

$79 12.6% 35.6% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

General Trias

$71 11.3% 40.1% $48

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

General Trias

$72 11.5% 13.5% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

General Trias

$47 7.6% 45% $15

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

General Trias

$15 2.3% 12.5% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $97.4 in General Trias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $17.00 in General Trias. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $175 – making General Trias the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 General Trias

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

08:15 8:15 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

450,583

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) General Trias 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
General Trias

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 General Trias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 37% more than General Trias, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $938 in General Trias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in General Trias, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 2% less in General Trias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $436 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $134 in General Trias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in General Trias, where all-in costs run around $626, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In General Trias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. General Trias costs $626 versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with General Trias. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, 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.