Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $625 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $625 in Santa Rosa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Santa Rosa $625

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $887 in Santa Rosa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Santa Rosa $887

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,149 in Santa Rosa.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Santa Rosa $1,149

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 37% more expensive than in Santa Rosa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Santa Rosa 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.54 ₱160

-24.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.82 ₱1,059

35.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.82 ₱177

60.99%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.13 ₱71.3

63.72%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.37 ₱23.13

51.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.23 ₱14.46

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.99 ₱62.1

7.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.23 ₱77.6

39.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.67 ₱105

-0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.12 ₱70.8

-0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.94 ₱59.3

6.38%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.64 ₱103

1.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.20 ₱327

132.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.45 ₱217

6.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$8.08 ₱509

26.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.23 ₱140

32.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.77 ₱48.43

61.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.36 ₱149

-33.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.03 ₱64.6

26.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$1.67 ₱105

-26.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.71 ₱108

-32.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.63 ₱39.36

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ₱31.09

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.88 ₱181

-56.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.70 ₱548

44.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.96 ₱60.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.02 ₱127

-24.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.25 ₱15.53

4.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.68 ₱798

-9.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.81 ₱51.2

-7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ₱15.86

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.88 ₱119

61.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.99 ₱62.6

-3.03%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

46.47%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.5K ₱1.2M

55.57%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$64.7 ₱4,071

57.72%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.25 ₱394

-5.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$23.10 ₱1,454

-54.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$32.29 ₱2,033

-20.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.27 ₱269

179.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.33 ₱336

-33.77%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$130 ₱8,197

235.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$5,510 ₱346.9K

322.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$28.54 ₱1,797

84.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.66 ₱1,238

73.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$71.6 ₱4,510

26.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.2 ₱3,536

69.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$271 ₱17.1K

117.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$172 ₱10.8K

73.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$526 ₱33.1K

145.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$172 ₱10.9K

312.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,054 ₱129.3K

127.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,115 ₱70.2K

70.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$144 ₱9,088

239.16%

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 Santa Rosa: 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%

Santa Rosa

$172 27.5% 42.3% $126

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Santa Rosa

$169 27% 18.6% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Santa Rosa

$79 12.7% 35.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Santa Rosa

$94 15.1% 20.6% $24

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Santa Rosa

$52 8.4% 17.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Santa Rosa

$43 6.9% 31.7% $10

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Santa Rosa

$16 2.5% 5.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $271 in Santa Rosa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 239% 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 $17.00 in Santa Rosa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $169 per month, with Santa Rosa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

09:10 9:10 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

414,812

💱 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) Santa Rosa 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Santa Rosa

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 Santa Rosa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Rosa wins on cost – living expenses run 37% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Rosa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 239% 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 $271 in Santa Rosa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $625 in Santa Rosa – a 37% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Santa Rosa runs roughly 10% 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 $625 in Santa Rosa versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Rosa but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Santa Rosa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Santa Rosa delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $625 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Santa Rosa hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Santa Rosa 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 Santa Rosa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 37% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.