Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Iloilo: $693 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Iloilo
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Iloilo Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Iloilo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $693 in Iloilo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Iloilo $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,054 in Iloilo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Iloilo $1,054

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,416 in Iloilo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Iloilo $1,416

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 23% more expensive than in Iloilo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Iloilo 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$2.83 ₱177

-32.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$19.43 ₱1,219

20.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$3.15 ₱198

48.25%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$2.09 ₱131

-11.48%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.65 ₱40.93

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.34 ₱21.39

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.06 ₱66.6

-4.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$1.81 ₱113

-6.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.69 ₱106

-6.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.20 ₱75.1

-13.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$0.84 ₱52.9

17.86%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$2.06 ₱129

-22.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$6.05 ₱379

102.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$4.04 ₱254

-12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$6.18 ₱388

68.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$3.32 ₱208

-6.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.04 ₱65.3

21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$3.06 ₱192

-48.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.38 ₱86.4

-8.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$2.39 ₱150

-51.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$2.71 ₱170

-57.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.47 ₱92.4

-51.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.81 ₱50.8

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$2.99 ₱188

-59.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$6.19 ₱388

98.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.10 ₱68.8

-10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.26 ₱78.8

18.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.24 ₱15.09

16.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$4.59 ₱288

153.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.82 ₱51.4

-10.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.34 ₱21.10

88.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$2.36 ₱148

34.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.16 ₱72.9

-18.10%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

41.18%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

56.57%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$64.5 ₱4,044

58.68%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$9.82 ₱616

-42.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$27.65 ₱1,734

-61.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$9.76 ₱612

164.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$4.70 ₱295

-27.87%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$31.77 ₱1,993

1277.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$23.50 ₱1,474

119.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$17.74 ₱1,113

94.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$55.5 ₱3,480

64.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$23.96 ₱1,503

296.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$308 ₱19.3K

87.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$246 ₱15.4K

18.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$1,184 ₱74.3K

9.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$436 ₱27.4K

64.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$3,633 ₱227.9K

29.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,055 ₱66.2K

78.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$206 ₱12.9K

135.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.33

17.87%

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 Iloilo: 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%

Iloilo

$246 35.8% 15.7% $46

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Iloilo

$188 27.3% 8.6% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Iloilo

$54 7.9% 55.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Iloilo

$102 14.8% 14% $17

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Iloilo

$70 10.2% 10.5% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Iloilo

$19 2.8% 41.3% $13

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Iloilo

$8.1 1.2% 51.7% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $308 in Iloilo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 136% 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 $19.00 in Iloilo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $188 per month, with Iloilo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Iloilo

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

16:04 4:04 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

457,626

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 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 = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Iloilo 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Iloilo

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 Iloilo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Iloilo wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Iloilo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 136% 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 $308 in Iloilo. 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 $693 in Iloilo – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Iloilo runs roughly 153% 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 $693 in Iloilo versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Iloilo but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Iloilo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Iloilo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $693 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Iloilo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Iloilo 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 Iloilo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.