Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Mandaluyong: $859 and $841 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Mandaluyong
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Mandaluyong Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Mandaluyong

🇵🇭 Philippines

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $841 in Mandaluyong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Mandaluyong $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,389 in Mandaluyong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Mandaluyong $1,389

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,936 in Mandaluyong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Mandaluyong $1,936

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 2% more expensive than in Mandaluyong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Mandaluyong 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.72 ₱297

-59.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.62 ₱1,046

37.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.53 ₱223

28.61%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.18 ₱137

-15.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.99 ₱62.1

-43.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.49 ₱30.84

-34.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.22 ₱76.7

-13.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.41 ₱152

-28.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.68 ₱105

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.30 ₱81.6

-14.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.03 ₱64.8

-2.91%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.21 ₱139

-24.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.18 ₱326

133.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.84 ₱305

-23.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.82 ₱429

50.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.38 ₱213

-12.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.89 ₱119

-34.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$3.09 ₱194

-49.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.85 ₱116

-29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.21 ₱139

-44.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.63 ₱166

-56.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.62 ₱39.08

19.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ₱30.84

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.94 ₱185

-57.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.95 ₱564

40.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.95 ₱60.0

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.07 ₱130

-26.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.38 ₱23.73

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.72 ₱45.59

4.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.47

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.95 ₱122

55.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.22 ₱76.5

-21.31%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

47.57%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

57.19%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$138 ₱8,711

-26.29%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$17.70 ₱1,114

-66.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$24.54 ₱1,545

-57.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$31.59 ₱1,989

-19.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$6.11 ₱385

-42.23%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$131 ₱8,261

232.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,790 ₱553.4K

164.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.06 ₱1,830

81.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$27.11 ₱1,707

25.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$71.2 ₱4,481

26.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$54.9 ₱3,454

73.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$622 ₱39.1K

-5.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$241 ₱15.1K

23.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$1,177 ₱74.1K

9.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$724 ₱45.6K

-1.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,810 ₱176.9K

66.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$533 ₱33.6K

-8.19%

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 Mandaluyong: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Mandaluyong

$241 28.6% 19.2% $57

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Mandaluyong

$200 23.7% 3.6% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Mandaluyong

$82 9.7% 33.1% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Mandaluyong

$181 21.5% 52.6% $62

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Mandaluyong

$91 10.9% 43.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Mandaluyong

$44 5.2% 34.4% $11

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Mandaluyong

$3.4 * 0.4% 79.7% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mandaluyong pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Mandaluyong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $200 per month, with Mandaluyong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Mandaluyong

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

07:51 7:51 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

425,758

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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) Mandaluyong 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mandaluyong

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 Mandaluyong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mandaluyong wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mandaluyong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Mandaluyong. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $622 in Mandaluyong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $841 in Mandaluyong – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $841 in Mandaluyong versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mandaluyong but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mandaluyong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mandaluyong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $841 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mandaluyong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mandaluyong 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 Mandaluyong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.