Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Marikina: $704 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Marikina
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Marikina Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Marikina

🇵🇭 Philippines

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $704 in Marikina.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Marikina $704

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,094 in Marikina.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Marikina $1,094

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,484 in Marikina.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Marikina $1,484

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.07 ₱257

-53.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$32.37 ₱2,038

-29.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.17 ₱199

43.22%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.29 ₱144

-19.21%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.55 ₱34.81

1.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.33 ₱20.92

-3.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.01 ₱63.7

4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.36 ₱149

-27.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.85 ₱117

-10.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.23 ₱77.7

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.06 ₱66.5

-5.66%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.08 ₱131

-19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$7.39 ₱466

63.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.20 ₱264

-12.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.78 ₱427

51.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.46 ₱155

20.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$2.03 ₱128

-38.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.33 ₱146

-33.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$2.30 ₱145

-43.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.38 ₱150

-48.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$3.48 ₱219

-66.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.10 ₱69.5

-32.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.70 ₱44.21

-20.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.93 ₱184

-57.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.73 ₱550

44.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.98 ₱62.0

-2.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.05 ₱129

-25.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.50 ₱31.34

-48.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.73 ₱46.04

2.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.53

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.94 ₱122

56.19%

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

$21.7K ₱1.4M

43.30%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

56.23%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$139 ₱8,744

-26.57%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$16.19 ₱1,019

-63.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$28.10 ₱1,769

-62.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$36.73 ₱2,312

-30.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.11 ₱448

-50.35%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$131 ₱8,250

233.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,456 ₱469.4K

212.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$59.9 ₱3,774

-12.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$28.37 ₱1,786

20.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$75.4 ₱4,745

19.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$54.7 ₱3,442

73.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$180 ₱11.3K

227.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$79.2 ₱4,986

276.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$322 ₱20.3K

301.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$145 ₱9,110

391.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,134 ₱71.4K

312.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$481 ₱30.3K

296.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$387 ₱24.3K

26.63%

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 Marikina: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Marikina

$79 11.3% 73.4% $219

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Marikina

$206 29.2% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Marikina

$98 14% 19.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Marikina

$183 26% 54.8% $65

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Marikina

$83 11.8% 30.7% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Marikina

$51 7.2% 56.3% $18

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Marikina

$3.9 * 0.6% 76.7% $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 $180 in Marikina. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 27% 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 $32.00 in Marikina. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $206, with Marikina cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Marikina

🕒 Local time

06:33 6:33 AM

07:33 7:33 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

456,059

💱 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) Marikina 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Marikina

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 Marikina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marikina 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 Marikina the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 27% 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 $180 in Marikina. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 1% 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 $704 in Marikina – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $704 in Marikina versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Marikina but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Marikina the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Marikina delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $704 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Marikina hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Marikina 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 Marikina 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.