Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Magallanes, Cavite

For one person, living is cheaper in Magallanes, Cavite: $703 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Magallanes, Cavite
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Magallanes, Cavite Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Magallanes, Cavite

🇵🇭 Philippines

$703

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Magallanes, Cavite

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $703 in Magallanes, Cavite.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Magallanes, Cavite $703

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,057 in Magallanes, Cavite.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Magallanes, Cavite $1,057

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,412 in Magallanes, Cavite.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Magallanes, Cavite $1,412

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 22% more expensive than in Magallanes, Cavite, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.37 ₱212

-43.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$14.35 ₱904

59.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.84 ₱179

59.86%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.02 ₱127

-8.42%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.71 ₱44.47

-21.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.32 ₱20.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.27 ₱80.3

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.04 ₱129

-15.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.85 ₱116

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.02 ₱64.3

8.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.06 ₱66.6

-5.66%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.92 ₱121

-13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$6.29 ₱396

92.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.62 ₱228

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.78 ₱427

51.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.73 ₱172

8.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.34 ₱84.1

-7.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.42 ₱152

-35.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.07 ₱67.5

21.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.74 ₱109

-29.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.74 ₱109

-33.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.83 ₱52.0

-10.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.56 ₱35.24

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.18 ₱200

-61.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.29 ₱459

72.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.96 ₱60.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.63 ₱102

-6.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.26 ₱16.07

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.00 ₱756

-4.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.65 ₱41.11

15.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ₱15.77

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.97 ₱124

53.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.24 ₱78.3

-22.58%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$18.7K ₱1.2M

65.94%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.4K ₱1.0M

84.65%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$105 ₱6,635

-3.24%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$13.86 ₱873

-57.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$26.12 ₱1,644

-59.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$36.66 ₱2,308

-30.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.16 ₱262

186.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.30 ₱333

-33.40%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$134 ₱8,447

225.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$6,827 ₱429.8K

241.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$37.50 ₱2,361

40.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$17.86 ₱1,124

91.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$67.0 ₱4,220

34.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$62.8 ₱3,954

51.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$243 ₱15.3K

142.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$162 ₱10.2K

83.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$442 ₱27.8K

192.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$308 ₱19.4K

130.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,772 ₱174.5K

68.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$935 ₱58.9K

103.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.79

27.25%

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 Magallanes, Cavite: 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%

Magallanes, Cavite

$162 23% 45.6% $136

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Magallanes, Cavite

$176 25% 15.1% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Magallanes, Cavite

$83 11.9% 32% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Magallanes, Cavite

$145 20.7% 22.8% $27

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Magallanes, Cavite

$74 10.6% 16.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Magallanes, Cavite

$47 6.7% 44.9% $15

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Magallanes, Cavite

$15 2.1% 10.3% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $243 in Magallanes, Cavite. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $14.00 in Magallanes, Cavite for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $176 per month, with Magallanes, Cavite cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Magallanes, Cavite

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

23,851

💱 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) Magallanes, Cavite 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Magallanes, Cavite

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 Magallanes, Cavite: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Magallanes, Cavite wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Magallanes, Cavite the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,054 in Magallanes, Cavite to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $243 in Magallanes, Cavite. 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 $703 in Magallanes, Cavite – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Magallanes, Cavite runs roughly 4% 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 $703 in Magallanes, Cavite versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Magallanes, Cavite but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Magallanes, Cavite the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Magallanes, Cavite delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $703 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Magallanes, Cavite hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Magallanes, Cavite 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 Magallanes, Cavite gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.