Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Mambajao: $508 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mambajao
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Mambajao Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Mambajao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$508

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mambajao and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $508 in Mambajao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mambajao $508
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $817 in Mambajao versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mambajao $817
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,126 in Mambajao versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Mambajao $1,126
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Mambajao costs roughly 41% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Mambajao 62% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.36 ₱85.9

$1.91 ₫49.6K

-28.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.83 ₱997

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-30.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.40 ₱214

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-25.11%

Cappuccino

$2.28 ₱144

$1.85 ₫48.0K

23.24%

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

$0.38 ₱24.02

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-32.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₱16.81

$0.32 ₫8,185

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₱64.6

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.12 ₱70.6

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-45.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.63 ₱39.56

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-43.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.66 ₱41.56

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-34.00%

Eggs

$1.26 ₱79.5

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.90 ₱372

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-51.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱270

$3.68 ₫95.2K

16.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 ₱346

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-46.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.54 ₱160

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-14.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 ₱103

$1.24 ₫32.2K

31.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$1.56 ₫40.3K

43.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 ₱71.3

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-13.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ₱81.3

$1.23 ₫31.9K

4.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 ₱130

$1.15 ₫29.8K

79.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 ₱56.8

$0.74 ₫19.1K

21.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₱34.37

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-1.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 ₱158

$1.24 ₫32.1K

102.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 ₱467

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-41.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$0.96 ₫24.9K

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$1.53 ₫39.6K

-26.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.20 ₱12.47

$0.26 ₫6,694

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.71 ₱675

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-6.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.69 ₱43.54

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱12.97

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-68.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 ₱107

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-43.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.3

$0.96 ₫24.8K

33.33%

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

$21.9K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-29.35%

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

$21.8K ₱1.4M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-28.33%

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

$64.9 ₱4,083

$102 ₫2.6M

-36.41%

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

$16.36 ₱1,030

$5.89 ₫152.5K

177.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 ₱1,266

$10.49 ₫271.6K

91.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.72 ₱1,745

$25.54 ₫661.2K

8.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.68 ₱295

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-60.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.95 ₱312

$3.53 ₫91.3K

40.23%

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

$127 ₱7,995

$436 ₫11.3M

-70.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,993 ₱566.2K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-61.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.83 ₱1,941

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-41.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.01 ₱1,386

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-35.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ₱4,553

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-19.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 ₱3,975

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₱6,360

$589 ₫15.3M

-82.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.3 ₱3,542

$298 ₫7.7M

-81.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 ₱14.9K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-81.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 ₱9,973

$711 ₫18.4M

-77.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,172 ₱136.7K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-53.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$990 ₱62.3K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-48.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$153 ₱9,616

$490 ₫12.7M

-68.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.64

-21.41%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mambajao: October 12, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mambajao

$156 30.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 32.9% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mambajao

$101 20%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 16.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Mambajao

$85 16.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 44.5% $38

Eating Out

Mambajao

$59 11.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 8.5% $5

Accommodation & Living

Mambajao

$56 11.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 429% $242

Sport & Entertainment

Mambajao

$38 7.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 13.3% $5

Getting Around

Mambajao

$13 2.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 25.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $101 in Mambajao and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 221% 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: $16.00 in Mambajao vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $156 vs $207 per month, with Mambajao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Mambajao

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h behind Mambajao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

41,094

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

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).

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).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mambajao Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Mambajao
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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

Mambajao vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mambajao wins on cost – living expenses run 69% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mambajao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 221% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $101 in Mambajao versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $508 per month in Mambajao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 69% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Mambajao runs roughly 7% 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 $508 in Mambajao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mambajao but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mambajao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mambajao delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $508 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mambajao hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Mambajao and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Mambajao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.