Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Roxas: $379 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Roxas
Learn more

Roxas Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Roxas

🇵🇭 Philippines

$379

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $379 in Roxas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Roxas $379

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $602 in Roxas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Roxas $602

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $826 in Roxas.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Roxas $826

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 127% more expensive than in Roxas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Roxas 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.86 ₱180

-33.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.03 ₱1,198

20.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.41 ₱152

88.38%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.86 ₱117

-0.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.46 ₱28.68

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.14 ₱8.66

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.10 ₱69.4

-3.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.79 ₱113

-3.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.60 ₱101

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.88 ₱55.2

26.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.89 ₱56.1

12.36%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.88 ₱118

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.99 ₱377

101.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.96 ₱249

-7.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.34 ₱399

61.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.63 ₱103

81.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.94 ₱59.1

31.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.25 ₱78.9

24.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$0.77 ₱48.19

68.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.00 ₱63.1

23.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.99 ₱62.3

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.39 ₱87.3

-46.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.77 ₱48.29

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.19 ₱138

-43.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.50 ₱409

93.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.14 ₱71.6

-15.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.29 ₱81.4

18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.83 ₱52.1

-9.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.33 ₱20.97

103.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.36 ₱149

28.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.02 ₱63.9

-5.88%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.7K ₱1.4M

43.43%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

54.84%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$62.3 ₱3,919

63.82%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$7.83 ₱493

-24.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$21.89 ₱1,378

-52.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.88 ₱307

-27.66%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$31.94 ₱2,011

1266.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$23.93 ₱1,507

120.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$17.18 ₱1,082

98.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$55.7 ₱3,504

62.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$24.03 ₱1,513

295.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$318 ₱20.0K

85.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$575 ₱36.2K

-14.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.33

17.87%

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 Roxas: 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%

Roxas

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Roxas

$156 41.3% 24.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Roxas

$54 14.4% 55.6% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Roxas

$92 24.3% 22.3% $26

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Roxas

$64 16.9% 0.5% $0.3

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Roxas

$9.8 * 2.6% 70.1% $23

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Roxas

$2.5 * 0.7% 85% $14

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 $318 in Roxas. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Roxas pays 17% 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 $19.00 in Roxas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $156 per month, with Roxas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Roxas

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

167,003

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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) Roxas 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Roxas

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 Roxas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Roxas wins on cost – living expenses run 127% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Roxas the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Roxas. 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 $318 in Roxas. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% 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 $379 in Roxas – a 127% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $379 in Roxas versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Roxas but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Roxas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Roxas delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $379 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Roxas hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Roxas 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 Roxas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 127% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.