Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in San Pablo: $634 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
31

Cost of Living Index in San Pablo
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San Pablo Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

San Pablo

🇵🇭 Philippines

$634

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $634 in San Pablo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
San Pablo $634

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $917 in San Pablo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
San Pablo $917

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,200 in San Pablo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
San Pablo $1,200

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 35% more expensive than in San Pablo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, San Pablo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.90 ₱245

-51.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.47 ₱1,037

38.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.81 ₱177

61.57%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.83 ₱115

1.09%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.38 ₱24.14

47.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.18 ₱11.26

77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.03 ₱64.7

2.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.63 ₱103

5.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.67 ₱105

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.10 ₱69.2

0.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.94 ₱59.1

6.38%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.08 ₱131

-19.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.14 ₱324

135.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.41 ₱215

7.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.73 ₱487

32.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.32 ₱146

27.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.41 ₱88.8

-12.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.61 ₱101

-3.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.04 ₱65.3

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.61 ₱101

-23.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.78 ₱112

-35.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.61 ₱38.28

21.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.52 ₱32.95

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.84 ₱179

-56.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.49 ₱409

94.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.95 ₱60.0

1.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.02 ₱127

-24.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.23 ₱14.37

13.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.81 ₱51.0

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ₱15.79

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.87 ₱118

62.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.15 ₱72.5

-16.52%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

43.69%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.3K ₱1.2M

57.42%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$143 ₱9,016

-28.78%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$11.84 ₱746

-50.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.37 ₱1,471

-55.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.13 ₱323

-31.19%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$132 ₱8,290

231.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$10.9K ₱683.6K

114.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.42 ₱1,852

79.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.58 ₱1,232

74.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$71.5 ₱4,502

26.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$55.6 ₱3,500

70.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$142 ₱8,963

314.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$125 ₱7,875

138.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$206 ₱13.0K

528.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$188 ₱11.8K

278.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$956 ₱60.2K

389.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$811 ₱51.1K

134.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$292 ₱18.4K

67.94%

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 San Pablo: 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%

San Pablo

$125 19.7% 58% $173

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

San Pablo

$166 26.2% 19.9% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

San Pablo

$79 12.5% 35.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

San Pablo

$178 28.1% 50.7% $60

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

San Pablo

$72 11.4% 13.8% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

San Pablo

$10 * 1.6% 68.5% $22

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

San Pablo

$3 * 0.5% 82.1% $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 $142 in San Pablo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 68% 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 $16.00 in San Pablo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $166 per month, with San Pablo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 San Pablo

🕒 Local time

13:29 1:29 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

266,068

💱 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) San Pablo 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
San Pablo

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 San Pablo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

San Pablo wins on cost – living expenses run 35% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making San Pablo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 68% 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $142 in San Pablo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% 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 $634 in San Pablo – a 35% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $634 in San Pablo versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in San Pablo but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes San Pablo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but San Pablo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $634 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes San Pablo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and San Pablo 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 San Pablo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 35% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.