Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $948 in Manila, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Manila
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Manila Living Index
42

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

Jump to prices

Manila

🇵🇭 Philippines

$948

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manila 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 Manila and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $948 in Manila versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Manila $948
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,508 in Manila versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Manila $1,508
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,068 in Manila versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Manila $2,068
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Manila is roughly 10% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manila 30% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.46 ₱344

$1.91 ₫49.6K

185.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.93 ₱1,695

$22.84 ₫591.2K

17.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.90 ₱246

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-14.10%

Cappuccino

$2.62 ₱165

$1.85 ₫48.0K

41.62%

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

$1.36 ₱85.5

$0.56 ₫14.6K

142.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₱52.3

$0.32 ₫8,185

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ₱76.9

$1.06 ₫27.5K

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.72 ₫44.5K

34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.66 ₫42.9K

18.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ₱89.1

$1.11 ₫28.7K

27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.04 ₱65.4

$1.00 ₫25.9K

4.00%

Eggs

$2.23 ₱140

$1.67 ₫43.1K

33.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 ₱485

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-36.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.91 ₱309

$3.68 ₫95.2K

33.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 ₱448

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-30.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 ₱204

$2.96 ₫76.5K

9.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$1.24 ₫32.2K

54.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 ₱184

$1.56 ₫40.3K

87.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 ₱113

$1.30 ₫33.6K

37.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.23 ₫31.9K

88.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.73 ₱172

$1.15 ₫29.8K

137.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 ₱133

$0.74 ₫19.1K

186.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₱37.25

$0.56 ₫14.4K

5.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.18 ₱200

$1.24 ₫32.1K

156.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.81 ₱618

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-22.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 ₱84.1

$0.96 ₫24.9K

39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.53 ₫39.6K

30.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ₱29.47

$0.26 ₫6,694

80.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.56 ₱791

$11.51 ₫297.9K

9.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.07

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-68.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-38.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₱80.6

$0.96 ₫24.8K

33.33%

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

$21.4K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-31.22%

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

$19.3K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-36.42%

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

$124 ₱7,822

$102 ₫2.6M

21.83%

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

$15.73 ₱990

$5.89 ₫152.5K

167.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.40 ₱1,536

$10.49 ₫271.6K

132.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.31 ₱2,727

$25.54 ₫661.2K

69.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.79 ₱365

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-51.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ₱425

$3.53 ₫91.3K

91.50%

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

$630 ₱39.7K

$436 ₫11.3M

44.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,004 ₱566.9K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-61.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 ₱3,668

$52.8 ₫1.4M

10.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 ₱1,721

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-19.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ₱4,758

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-16.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.6 ₱3,564

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-40.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 ₱33.8K

$589 ₫15.3M

-9.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$284 ₱17.9K

$298 ₫7.7M

-4.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,874 ₱118.0K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

44.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$654 ₱41.2K

$711 ₫18.4M

-7.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,438 ₱279.4K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-5.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,530 ₱159.3K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

32.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$467 ₱29.4K

$490 ₫12.7M

-4.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.43

8.64

-14.00%

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

Last update for Manila: October 11, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Manila

$284 29.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 5% $14

Groceries & Markets

Manila

$222 23.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 6.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manila

$164 17.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 28% $46

Eating Out

Manila

$106 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 40.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Manila

$98 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 25% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Manila

$57 6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 42.6% $24

Getting Around

Manila

$16 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 2.7% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $536 in Manila 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 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $27.00 in Manila vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $222 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Manila

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

04:15 4:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

1 h behind Manila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,780,148 Capital

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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manila Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Manila
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Manila. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% 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: $536 in Manila 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 $948 per month in Manila versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 9% less than in Manila. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $948 in Manila, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Manila. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Manila 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Manila. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.