Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Negros: $739 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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 Negros
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Negros Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Negros

🇵🇭 Philippines

$739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $739 in Negros.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Negros $739

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,121 in Negros.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Negros $1,121

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,503 in Negros.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Negros $1,503

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 17% more expensive than in Negros, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.94 ₱185

-32.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$11.99 ₱755

92.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$2.77 ₱175

71.84%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.40 ₱88.2

32.86%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.67 ₱41.96

-23.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.42 ₱26.27

-23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.21 ₱76.1

-14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.96 ₱123

-12.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.93 ₱121

-18.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.11 ₱69.7

-1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.96 ₱60.6

9.38%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.96 ₱123

-16.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$9.83 ₱619

25.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.51 ₱284

-20.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$7.35 ₱463

43.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$3.32 ₱209

-10.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.41 ₱88.6

-10.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.41 ₱152

-32.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.53 ₱96.4

-14.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$2.42 ₱152

-50.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.89 ₱119

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.14 ₱71.7

-35.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.64 ₱40.01

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.91 ₱183

-56.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$6.11 ₱385

103.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.23 ₱77.4

-21.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.74 ₱110

-14.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.26 ₱16.37

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$11.32 ₱713

0.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.79 ₱49.77

-13.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.23 ₱14.53

169.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$1.89 ₱119

58.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.33 ₱83.9

-31.58%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$21.1K ₱1.3M

44.85%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

52.05%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$120 ₱7,531

-13.25%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$14.43 ₱908

-59.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$27.86 ₱1,754

-62.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$32.58 ₱2,051

-19.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$4.62 ₱291

157.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.44 ₱342

-28.49%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$130 ₱8,211

237.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$8,096 ₱509.8K

197.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$32.81 ₱2,066

55.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$19.16 ₱1,206

83.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$76.9 ₱4,843

19.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$57.8 ₱3,638

66.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$269 ₱17.0K

116.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$169 ₱10.6K

75.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$511 ₱32.2K

154.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$358 ₱22.5K

103.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,453 ₱154.4K

94.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$992 ₱62.5K

86.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$241 ₱15.2K

103.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

23.43%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Last update for Negros: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Negros

$169 22.9% 43.1% $128

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Negros

$204 27.5% 2% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Negros

$84 11.4% 32% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Negros

$162 21.9% 34.9% $42

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Negros

$63 8.5% 2.2% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Negros

$43 5.9% 28.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Negros

$14 1.9% 12.1% $2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $269 in Negros. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 103% 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 $12.00 in Negros for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $204 per month, with Negros cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Negros

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

01:56 1:56 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,414,131

💱 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 21, 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 21, 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) Negros 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Negros

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 Negros: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Negros wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Negros the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 103% 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $269 in Negros. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $739 in Negros – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Negros runs roughly 1% 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 $739 in Negros versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Negros but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Negros the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Negros delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $739 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Negros hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Negros 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 Negros gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.