Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tacloban: $773 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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
38

Cost of Living Index in Tacloban
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Tacloban Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Tacloban

🇵🇭 Philippines

$773

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $773 in Tacloban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Tacloban $773

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,160 in Tacloban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Tacloban $1,160

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,548 in Tacloban.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Tacloban $1,548

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 11% more expensive than in Tacloban, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Tacloban 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.06 ₱193

-37.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$15.80 ₱995

44.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.36 ₱149

92.37%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.41 ₱152

-23.24%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.66 ₱41.55

-15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.37 ₱23.54

-13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.56 ₱98.2

-32.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.21 ₱139

-22.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.03 ₱128

-18.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.17 ₱73.9

-5.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.90 ₱56.7

11.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.95 ₱123

-14.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$10.00 ₱629

20.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.34 ₱273

-15.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.20 ₱453

42.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.47 ₱218

-14.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.10 ₱69.0

12.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.32 ₱146

-32.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.48 ₱93.5

-12.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.36 ₱149

-47.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.92 ₱121

-40.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.14 ₱71.9

-35.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.64 ₱40.22

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.95 ₱123

-36.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.23 ₱392

102.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.13 ₱71.0

-15.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.66 ₱104

-7.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.27 ₱17.05

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$11.05 ₱696

4.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.78 ₱49.11

-3.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.23 ₱14.54

191.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.87 ₱118

62.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.99 ₱62.1

-3.03%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

46.60%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

54.72%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$120 ₱7,542

-14.87%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.07 ₱886

-58.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$27.83 ₱1,752

-62.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$32.70 ₱2,059

-21.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.69 ₱295

154.16%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.73 ₱361

-38.39%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$134 ₱8,419

226.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$8,021 ₱505.0K

190.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.68 ₱2,057

61.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.29 ₱1,214

77.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.2 ₱4,797

18.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$57.1 ₱3,597

66.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$263 ₱16.5K

124.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$191 ₱12.0K

55.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$523 ₱32.9K

147.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$360 ₱22.7K

97.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,393 ₱150.6K

95.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$976 ₱61.5K

95.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$347 ₱21.9K

40.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

7.2

20.00%

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 Tacloban: 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%

Tacloban

$191 24.7% 35.8% $107

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Tacloban

$202 26.1% 2.6% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Tacloban

$83 10.8% 31.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Tacloban

$162 20.9% 36.6% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Tacloban

$77 9.9% 21.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Tacloban

$44 5.7% 35.5% $12

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Tacloban

$14 1.8% 15.5% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $263 in Tacloban. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 41% 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 Tacloban for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $202 per month, with Tacloban cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Tacloban

🕒 Local time

04:57 4:57 AM

05:57 5:57 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

242,089

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Tacloban 2,000 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Tacloban

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 Tacloban: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tacloban wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tacloban the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 41% 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 $263 in Tacloban. 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 $773 in Tacloban – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tacloban runs roughly 4% 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 $773 in Tacloban versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tacloban but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Tacloban the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tacloban delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $773 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tacloban hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Tacloban 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 Tacloban gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.