Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tanay Rizal: $715 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tanay Rizal
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Tanay Rizal Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Tanay Rizal

🇵🇭 Philippines

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $715 in Tanay Rizal.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Tanay Rizal $715

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,110 in Tanay Rizal.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Tanay Rizal $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,505 in Tanay Rizal.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Tanay Rizal $1,505

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 20% more expensive than in Tanay Rizal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Tanay Rizal 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.85 ₱242

-50.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$16.69 ₱1,051

36.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$2.81 ₱177

61.57%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.17 ₱137

-14.75%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.66 ₱41.51

-15.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.34 ₱21.11

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.18 ₱74.0

-10.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.90 ₱120

-9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.60 ₱101

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.23 ₱77.1

-9.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.02 ₱64.0

-1.96%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.87 ₱118

-10.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$4.75 ₱299

154.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.32 ₱272

-14.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.72 ₱423

52.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.17 ₱137

36.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.67 ₱105

-25.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.45 ₱154

-36.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.25 ₱78.8

4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.08 ₱131

-40.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.87 ₱118

-38.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.00 ₱62.9

-26.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ₱31.06

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.51 ₱158

-50.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.39 ₱466

70.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.01 ₱63.8

-4.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.13 ₱134

-28.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.27 ₱16.87

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$10.44 ₱657

10.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.75 ₱47.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ₱15.69

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$1.74 ₱109

74.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.24 ₱78.2

-22.58%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.9K ₱1.4M

41.66%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.9K ₱1.1M

79.59%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$110 ₱6,934

-7.41%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$14.56 ₱917

-59.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$24.81 ₱1,562

-57.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$29.37 ₱1,849

-13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.17 ₱263

185.85%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.20 ₱328

-32.12%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$127 ₱8,014

242.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,384 ₱464.9K

215.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.84 ₱2,068

60.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$20.83 ₱1,311

63.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$73.0 ₱4,597

23.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$56.6 ₱3,565

67.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$270 ₱17.0K

118.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$174 ₱10.9K

71.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$504 ₱31.7K

156.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$393 ₱24.7K

81.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,052 ₱129.2K

127.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$938 ₱59.1K

102.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.79

27.25%

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 Tanay Rizal: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Tanay Rizal

$174 24.3% 41.6% $124

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Tanay Rizal

$177 24.7% 14.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Tanay Rizal

$82 11.5% 32.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Tanay Rizal

$150 20.9% 26.3% $31

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Tanay Rizal

$79 11% 24.3% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Tanay Rizal

$40 5.6% 22% $7.2

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Tanay Rizal

$14 1.9% 18.9% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $270 in Tanay Rizal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Tanay Rizal for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $177 per month, with Tanay Rizal cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Tanay Rizal

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

11:55 11:55 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

59,950

💱 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) Tanay Rizal 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Tanay Rizal

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 Tanay Rizal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tanay Rizal wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Tanay Rizal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,072 in Tanay Rizal 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $270 in Tanay Rizal. 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 $715 in Tanay Rizal – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tanay Rizal 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 $715 in Tanay Rizal versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Tanay Rizal but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Tanay Rizal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Tanay Rizal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $715 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tanay Rizal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Tanay Rizal 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 Tanay Rizal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.