Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $508 in Mambajao.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Mambajao $508

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $817 in Mambajao.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Mambajao $817

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,126 in Mambajao.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Mambajao $1,126

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 69% more expensive than in Mambajao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Mambajao 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.36 ₱85.9

40.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$15.83 ₱997

44.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.40 ₱214

33.53%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.28 ₱144

-18.86%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.38 ₱24.02

47.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.27 ₱16.81

18.52%

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

$1.12 ₱70.6

53.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$0.90 ₱56.8

84.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.63 ₱39.56

76.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.66 ₱41.56

51.52%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.26 ₱79.5

32.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.90 ₱372

104.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.29 ₱270

-14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$5.50 ₱346

86.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.54 ₱160

16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.63 ₱103

-23.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.24 ₱141

-30.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.13 ₱71.3

15.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.29 ₱81.3

-4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.06 ₱130

-44.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.90 ₱56.8

-17.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ₱34.37

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.51 ₱158

-50.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.42 ₱467

69.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.99 ₱62.0

-3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.13 ₱70.9

35.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.20 ₱12.47

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$10.71 ₱675

7.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.69 ₱43.54

8.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.21 ₱12.97

219.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.70 ₱107

78.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.28 ₱80.3

-25.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.9K ₱1.4M

41.54%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

39.52%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$64.9 ₱4,083

57.26%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$16.36 ₱1,030

-64.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$20.10 ₱1,266

-47.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$27.72 ₱1,745

-7.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.68 ₱295

154.70%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.95 ₱312

-28.69%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$127 ₱7,995

243.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,993 ₱566.2K

158.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$30.83 ₱1,941

71.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$22.01 ₱1,386

55.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$72.3 ₱4,553

24.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$63.1 ₱3,975

50.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$101 ₱6,360

483.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$56.3 ₱3,542

429.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$237 ₱14.9K

444.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$158 ₱9,973

348.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,172 ₱136.7K

115.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$990 ₱62.3K

92.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$153 ₱9,616

220.53%

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 Mambajao: 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%

Mambajao

$56 11.1% 81.1% $242

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Mambajao

$156 30.7% 24.8% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Mambajao

$85 16.7% 30.8% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Mambajao

$101 20% 14.4% $17

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Mambajao

$59 11.5% 7.8% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Mambajao

$38 7.4% 15.4% $5

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Mambajao

$13 2.6% 20.5% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $101 in Mambajao. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 221% 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 Mambajao for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $156 per month, with Mambajao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🕒 Local time

02:55 2:55 AM

03:55 3:55 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

41,094

💱 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) Mambajao 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mambajao

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 Mambajao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mambajao wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mambajao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 221% 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 $101 in Mambajao. 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 $508 in Mambajao – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mambajao runs roughly 7% 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 $508 in Mambajao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mambajao but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mambajao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mambajao delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $508 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mambajao hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mambajao 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 Mambajao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.