Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Maasin City: $755 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Maasin City
Learn more

Maasin City Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Maasin City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$755

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $755 in Maasin City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Maasin City $755

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,132 in Maasin City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Maasin City $1,132

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,508 in Maasin City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Maasin City $1,508

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 14% more expensive than in Maasin 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, Maasin City 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.11 ₱196

-38.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$23.45 ₱1,476

-2.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.86 ₱243

17.62%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.57 ₱162

-28.02%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$1.58 ₱99.6

-64.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.49 ₱30.61

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.72 ₱108

-38.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.21 ₱139

-22.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.96 ₱123

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.18 ₱74.3

-5.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.91 ₱57.3

9.89%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.86 ₱117

-10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.92 ₱625

21.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.41 ₱277

-16.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.35 ₱463

39.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.62 ₱102

82.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.67 ₱41.93

85.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.58 ₱99.2

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.54 ₱97.2

-15.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.34 ₱148

-47.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.91 ₱120

-39.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.20 ₱75.9

-38.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.67 ₱42.21

-16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.02 ₱190

-58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.33 ₱398

99.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.23 ₱77.5

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.72 ₱108

-11.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.24 ₱15.18

8.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.06 ₱760

-4.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.74 ₱46.38

1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.49

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.92 ₱121

57.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.37 ₱86.0

-29.93%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$20.9K ₱1.3M

48.31%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

56.99%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$122 ₱7,695

-16.56%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.04 ₱884

-58.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.70 ₱1,744

-62.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$30.38 ₱1,913

-15.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.24 ₱267

181.13%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.53 ₱348

-36.17%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$135 ₱8,488

223.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,885 ₱496.4K

195.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.99 ₱2,077

59.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.59 ₱1,233

74.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.0 ₱4,786

18.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.9 ₱3,581

67.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$269 ₱17.0K

118.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$174 ₱11.0K

71.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$474 ₱29.8K

172.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$301 ₱19.0K

135.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,140 ₱134.7K

118.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$977 ₱61.5K

94.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$125 ₱7,886

290.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.2

20.00%

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 Maasin City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Maasin City

$174 23.1% 41.6% $124

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Maasin City

$188 25% 9.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Maasin City

$83 11.1% 31.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Maasin City

$164 21.7% 38.5% $46

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Maasin City

$89 11.7% 39.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Maasin City

$41 5.5% 27.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Maasin City

$15 2% 10.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $269 in Maasin City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 291% 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 $23.00 in Maasin City. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $188, with Maasin City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Maasin City

🕒 Local time

02:53 2:53 AM

03:53 3:53 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

85,560

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Maasin City 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Maasin City wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Maasin City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 291% 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 $269 in Maasin City. 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 $755 in Maasin City – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Maasin City runs roughly 5% 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 $755 in Maasin City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Maasin City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Maasin City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Maasin City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $755 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Maasin City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Maasin 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 Maasin City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.