Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Muntinlupa: $742 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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 Muntinlupa
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Muntinlupa Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Muntinlupa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $742 in Muntinlupa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Muntinlupa $742

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,173 in Muntinlupa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Muntinlupa $1,173

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,604 in Muntinlupa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Muntinlupa $1,604

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 16% more expensive than in Muntinlupa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Muntinlupa 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.94 ₱248

-51.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$27.36 ₱1,722

-16.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.81 ₱177

61.57%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.36 ₱149

-21.61%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.95 ₱59.7

-41.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.44 ₱27.42

-27.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.16 ₱72.7

-8.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.78 ₱112

-3.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.64 ₱103

1.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.22 ₱76.6

-9.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.02 ₱64.3

-1.96%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.07 ₱130

-19.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.00 ₱315

141.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.78 ₱238

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.93 ₱436

47.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.37 ₱149

24.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.53 ₱96.4

-18.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.58 ₱162

-39.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.23 ₱77.6

5.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.79 ₱112

-31.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.93 ₱122

-40.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.98 ₱61.8

-24.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.56 ₱35.06

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.90 ₱183

-57.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.68 ₱547

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.28 ₱80.9

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.09 ₱132

-26.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.26 ₱16.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.39 ₱780

-7.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.74 ₱46.66

1.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.51

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.94 ₱122

56.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.22 ₱76.6

-21.31%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

47.55%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

56.54%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$123 ₱7,728

-16.92%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$16.06 ₱1,011

-63.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.97 ₱1,509

-56.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$32.71 ₱2,059

-21.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.82 ₱304

147.30%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.17 ₱325

-31.72%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$135 ₱8,503

223.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,993 ₱566.2K

158.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.60 ₱2,052

61.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.70 ₱1,240

73.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$77.7 ₱4,889

16.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$58.6 ₱3,688

62.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$270 ₱17.0K

117.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$172 ₱10.8K

73.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$517 ₱32.5K

150.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$393 ₱24.8K

80.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,401 ₱151.1K

94.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$994 ₱62.6K

91.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$602 ₱37.9K

-18.70%

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 Muntinlupa: 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%

Muntinlupa

$172 23.2% 42.3% $126

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Muntinlupa

$181 24.4% 12.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Muntinlupa

$85 11.4% 30.7% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Muntinlupa

$163 21.9% 37.5% $44

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Muntinlupa

$83 11.2% 31.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Muntinlupa

$43 5.8% 32% $10

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Muntinlupa

$15 2.1% 7.9% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $270 in Muntinlupa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Muntinlupa pays 23% 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 $27.00 in Muntinlupa. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $181, with Muntinlupa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Muntinlupa

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

543,445

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

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Muntinlupa

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 Muntinlupa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Muntinlupa wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Muntinlupa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 23% lower in Muntinlupa. 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 $270 in Muntinlupa. 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 $742 in Muntinlupa – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Muntinlupa runs roughly 8% 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 $742 in Muntinlupa versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Muntinlupa but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Muntinlupa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Muntinlupa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $742 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Muntinlupa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Muntinlupa 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 Muntinlupa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.