Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Phan Thiet: $658 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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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
32

Cost of Living Index in Phan Thiet
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Phan Thiet Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Phan Thiet

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $658 in Phan Thiet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853
Phan Thiet $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,085 in Phan Thiet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391
Phan Thiet $1,085

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,512 in Phan Thiet.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930
Phan Thiet $1,512

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 30% more expensive than in Phan Thiet, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Phan Thiet 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.3K

$2.63 ₫67.9K

-27.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.93 ₫592.4K

$23.07 ₫595.9K

-0.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.69 ₫121.2K

$4.60 ₫118.7K

1.96%

Cappuccino

$1.80 ₫46.5K

$0.61 ₫15.7K

195.08%

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

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.40 ₫10.2K

37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,812

$0.21 ₫5,415

61.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.61 ₫15.7K

68.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.4K

$1.22 ₫31.6K

40.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.34 ₫34.5K

24.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.2K

$0.37 ₫9,623

194.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.06 ₫27.3K

$0.96 ₫24.7K

10.42%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.3K

$1.13 ₫29.1K

41.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.1K

$12.32 ₫318.1K

-1.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ₫94.5K

$3.14 ₫81.1K

16.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ₫267.3K

$8.35 ₫215.7K

23.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 ₫77.7K

$1.95 ₫50.3K

54.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$0.80 ₫20.6K

57.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫41.9K

$1.08 ₫27.8K

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₫32.7K

$1.24 ₫32.0K

2.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.5K

$0.81 ₫20.9K

45.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.7K

$0.72 ₫18.7K

65.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ₫20.1K

$0.60 ₫15.4K

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.55 ₫14.2K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-19.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 ₫331.9K

$9.75 ₫251.9K

31.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$0.41 ₫10.5K

119.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ₫37.6K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

-4.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,260

$0.29 ₫7,363

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.42 ₫295.0K

$6.35 ₫164.2K

79.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₫18.2K

$0.59 ₫15.3K

18.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 ₫16.3K

$0.60 ₫15.4K

5.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.09 ₫79.8K

$2.17 ₫56.2K

42.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.92 ₫23.7K

3.26%

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

$30.5K ₫788.3M

$31.1K ₫802.8M

-1.81%

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

$29.7K ₫767.8M

$28.2K ₫727.5M

5.54%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$43.05 ₫1.1M

137.44%

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

$5.65 ₫145.8K

$6.41 ₫165.7K

-11.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.43 ₫269.5K

$9.43 ₫243.6K

10.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.30 ₫498.7K

$20.55 ₫530.8K

-6.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.81 ₫305.1K

$7.78 ₫200.9K

51.80%

Cinema Ticket

$3.83 ₫98.9K

$1.88 ₫48.6K

103.72%

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

$484 ₫12.5M

$213 ₫5.5M

127.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.3M

$3,840 ₫99.2M

507.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 ₫1.4M

$22.83 ₫589.6K

128.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.35 ₫887.3K

$23.47 ₫606.2K

46.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.3 ₫2.4M

$38.53 ₫995.4K

139.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.2 ₫2.4M

$59.1 ₫1.5M

59.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$647 ₫16.7M

$479 ₫12.4M

34.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$284 ₫7.3M

4.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,291 ₫33.3M

$810 ₫20.9M

59.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$719 ₫18.6M

$629 ₫16.2M

14.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,327 ₫111.8M

$2,217 ₫57.3M

95.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,987 ₫51.3M

$1,316 ₫34.0M

50.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.28

4.35%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Last update for Phan Thiet: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9%

Phan Thiet

$284 43.1% 4.6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4%

Phan Thiet

$166 25.2% 20.4% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Phan Thiet

$65 9.8% 47.3% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Phan Thiet

$59 9% 50.2% $59

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Phan Thiet

$50 7.6% 20.8% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2%

Phan Thiet

$24 3.7% 9.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Phan Thiet

$11 1.7% 32.5% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $479 in Phan Thiet. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $23 in Phan Thiet. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $166, with Phan Thiet cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Phan Thiet

🕒 Local time

06:00 6:00 AM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

255,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Phan Thiet 150 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs Phan Thiet: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phan Thiet wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Phan Thiet the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,279 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $987 in Phan Thiet 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: $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $479 in Phan Thiet. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% 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 $853 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $658 in Phan Thiet – Phan Thiet is about 23% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Phan Thiet gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Phan Thiet are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.