Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Toledo City: $647 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Toledo City
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Toledo City Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Toledo City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$647

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $647 in Toledo City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Toledo City $647

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,023 in Toledo City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Toledo City $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,398 in Toledo City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Toledo City $1,398

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 33% more expensive than in Toledo City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Toledo City 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.87 ₱181

-33.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.01 ₱1,197

20.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.11 ₱196

45.98%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$1.87 ₱117

-1.07%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.65 ₱40.86

-13.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ₱19.32

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.06 ₱67.0

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.71 ₱108

0.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.66 ₱104

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.21 ₱76.3

-8.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.90 ₱56.4

11.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.88 ₱118

-11.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$5.95 ₱375

103.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.10 ₱258

-10.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.15 ₱387

66.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$3.27 ₱206

-9.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.04 ₱65.2

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.80 ₱176

-44.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.38 ₱87.0

-5.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$2.33 ₱147

-47.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.84 ₱179

-59.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.45 ₱91.3

-48.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.76 ₱48.04

-26.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$0.82 ₱51.6

51.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$6.18 ₱389

103.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.08 ₱67.9

-11.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.29 ₱81.1

18.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.29 ₱18.09

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$9.95 ₱626

15.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.82 ₱51.8

-8.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.33 ₱21.08

103.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.46 ₱155

23.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.16 ₱73.3

-17.24%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$21.2K ₱1.3M

46.29%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$19.6K ₱1.2M

55.01%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$63.4 ₱3,992

60.85%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.51 ₱599

-38.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$26.91 ₱1,694

-61.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$31.76 ₱2,000

-19.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.72 ₱297

152.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$1.57 ₱99.1

124.84%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$79.6 ₱5,013

448.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,190 ₱452.7K

223.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$32.71 ₱2,059

61.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$19.70 ₱1,240

73.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$55.4 ₱3,491

62.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$55.9 ₱3,519

69.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$268 ₱16.9K

119.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$173 ₱10.9K

72.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$508 ₱32.0K

154.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$361 ₱22.7K

97.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,390 ₱150.5K

95.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$992 ₱62.5K

91.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$320 ₱20.1K

53.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

44.00%

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 Toledo City: 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%

Toledo City

$173 26.7% 41.9% $125

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Toledo City

$185 28.6% 10.6% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Toledo City

$74 11.4% 39.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Toledo City

$100 15.4% 15.7% $19

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Toledo City

$67 10.4% 6% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Toledo City

$35 5.4% 7.1% $2.3

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Toledo City

$14 2.1% 18.4% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $268 in Toledo City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 53% 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 $19.00 in Toledo City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $185 per month, with Toledo City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Toledo City

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

13:13 1:13 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

206,692

💱 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) Toledo City 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Toledo City

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 Toledo City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Toledo City wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Toledo City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 53% 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 $268 in Toledo City. 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 $647 in Toledo City – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Toledo City runs roughly 16% 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 $647 in Toledo City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Toledo City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Toledo City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Toledo City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $647 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Toledo City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Toledo City 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 Toledo City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.