Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Nueva Ecija: $529 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Nueva Ecija
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Nueva Ecija 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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Nueva Ecija

🇵🇭 Philippines

$529

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $529 in Nueva Ecija versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Nueva Ecija $529
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $935 in Nueva Ecija versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Nueva Ecija $935
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,340 in Nueva Ecija versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Nueva Ecija $1,340
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Nueva Ecija costs roughly 38% 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: Nueva Ecija 61% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 ₱246

$1.91 ₫49.6K

104.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.99 ₱1,070

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-25.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.74 ₱173

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-39.65%

Cappuccino

$1.42 ₱89.2

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-23.24%

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

$0.56 ₱35.40

$0.56 ₫14.6K

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.18

$0.32 ₫8,185

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₱61.2

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-8.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-9.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ₱105

$1.66 ₫42.9K

0.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₱60.5

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-13.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ₱56.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-11.00%

Eggs

$1.54 ₱96.7

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-7.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.22 ₱329

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-56.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.31 ₱208

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-10.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.65 ₱356

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-44.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ₱139

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-25.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 ₱46.06

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-41.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$1.56 ₫40.3K

12.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 ₱67.8

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-16.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 ₱105

$1.23 ₫31.9K

34.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 ₱109

$1.15 ₫29.8K

49.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱38.73

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ₱26.97

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.26 ₱142

$1.24 ₫32.1K

82.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.36 ₱275

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-65.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.3

$0.96 ₫24.9K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.53 ₫39.6K

30.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ₱16.99

$0.26 ₫6,694

3.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.51 ₱347

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-52.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.70 ₱44.14

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.14 ₱9.01

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-79.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 ₱63.9

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 ₱58.1

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-4.17%

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

$16.1K ₱1.0M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-48.31%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-36.89%

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

$78.7 ₱4,954

$102 ₫2.6M

-22.84%

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

$17.23 ₱1,085

$5.89 ₫152.5K

192.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.30 ₱1,152

$10.49 ₫271.6K

74.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.48 ₱2,297

$25.54 ₫661.2K

42.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.38 ₱276

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-63.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 ₱282

$3.53 ₫91.3K

26.91%

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

$134 ₱8,440

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱669.6K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-54.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.15 ₱1,835

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-44.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.55 ₱1,231

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-42.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.6 ₱4,442

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-21.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.7 ₱3,445

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-42.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 ₱7,197

$589 ₫15.3M

-80.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.6 ₱4,321

$298 ₫7.7M

-76.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-86.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 ₱22.5K

$711 ₫18.4M

-49.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,452 ₱154.4K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-47.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$883 ₱55.6K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-53.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$189 ₱11.9K

$490 ₫12.7M

-61.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.64

-21.88%

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

Last update for Nueva Ecija: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Nueva Ecija

$147 27.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 41.4% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nueva Ecija

$114 21.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 3.6% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Nueva Ecija

$78 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 56.4% $44

Accommodation & Living

Nueva Ecija

$69 13%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 334% $229

Eating Out

Nueva Ecija

$68 12.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 6.5% $4.4

Sport & Entertainment

Nueva Ecija

$45 8.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 28.2% $13

Getting Around

Nueva Ecija

$8 1.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 108% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $114 in Nueva Ecija 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 159% 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: $17.00 in Nueva Ecija vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $147 vs $207 per month, with Nueva Ecija cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Nueva Ecija

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

03:40 3:40 AM

02:40 2:40 AM

1 h behind Nueva Ecija

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

64,610

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nueva Ecija Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nueva Ecija
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

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

Nueva Ecija wins on cost – living expenses run 62% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nueva Ecija the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 159% 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: $114 in Nueva Ecija 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 $529 per month in Nueva Ecija versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nueva Ecija runs roughly 109% 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 $529 in Nueva Ecija versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nueva Ecija but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Nueva Ecija the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nueva Ecija delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $529 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nueva Ecija hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Nueva Ecija 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 Nueva Ecija gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.