Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Pangasinan: $785 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $920 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Pangasinan
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Pangasinan Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Pangasinan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$785

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $785 in Pangasinan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Pangasinan $785

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,175 in Pangasinan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Pangasinan $1,175

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,566 in Pangasinan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Pangasinan $1,566

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 10% more expensive than in Pangasinan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Pangasinan 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$1.20 ₱75.8

65.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$13.70 ₱862

68.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.00 ₱252

19.00%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.55 ₱160

-27.06%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$1.08 ₱68.0

-52.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.53 ₱33.62

-39.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.83 ₱52.3

24.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$3.15 ₱198

-45.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.09 ₱68.9

44.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$0.83 ₱52.0

31.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.72 ₱45.61

45.83%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$2.49 ₱157

-34.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$7.03 ₱442

75.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.81 ₱303

-25.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$7.01 ₱441

50.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.36 ₱149

25.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.93 ₱122

-34.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$3.14 ₱198

-48.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$2.39 ₱151

-45.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$3.57 ₱225

-66.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$3.45 ₱217

-66.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.11 ₱70.0

-34.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.58 ₱36.27

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.69 ₱169

-52.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$7.84 ₱494

58.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.32 ₱82.9

-27.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$2.06 ₱130

-28.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.26 ₱16.50

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$11.24 ₱708

1.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.66 ₱41.59

3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.23 ₱14.50

169.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$1.93 ₱121

55.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$0.92 ₱58.1

-1.09%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

44.13%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

52.31%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$153 ₱9,648

-32.29%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$15.75 ₱992

-63.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$31.66 ₱1,993

-66.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$32.52 ₱2,048

-19.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$4.58 ₱288

159.83%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$7.07 ₱445

-44.98%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$132 ₱8,330

232.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,373 ₱464.2K

226.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$32.82 ₱2,066

55.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$19.88 ₱1,252

76.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$80.2 ₱5,049

14.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$54.7 ₱3,444

76.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$265 ₱16.7K

119.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$169 ₱10.6K

75.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$519 ₱32.6K

150.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$360 ₱22.7K

101.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,394 ₱150.7K

99.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$986 ₱62.1K

87.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.5

15.20%

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 Pangasinan: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Pangasinan

$169 21.5% 43% $128

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Pangasinan

$201 25.7% 3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Pangasinan

$84 10.8% 31.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Pangasinan

$201 25.6% 67.2% $81

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Pangasinan

$69 8.8% 7.4% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Pangasinan

$47 5.9% 37.8% $13

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Pangasinan

$14 1.8% 13.3% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $265 in Pangasinan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $14.00 in Pangasinan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $201 per month, with Pangasinan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Pangasinan

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

00:19 12:19 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,188,540

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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) Pangasinan 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Pangasinan

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 Pangasinan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pangasinan wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pangasinan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,294 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,178 in Pangasinan to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $265 in Pangasinan. 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 $785 in Pangasinan – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Pangasinan runs roughly 2% 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 $785 in Pangasinan versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pangasinan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Pangasinan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pangasinan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $785 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pangasinan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Pangasinan 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 Pangasinan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.