Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Panglao: $817 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $500 less a year. The total is higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) despite lower rent and utilities.

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Cost of Living Index in Panglao
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Panglao 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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Panglao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$817

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $817 in Panglao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Panglao $817
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,137 in Panglao versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Panglao $1,137
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,456 in Panglao versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Panglao $1,456
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Panglao costs roughly 5% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Panglao 39% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.08 ₱194

$1.91 ₫49.6K

61.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.75 ₱1,495

$22.84 ₫591.2K

3.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.94 ₱248

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-13.22%

Cappuccino

$2.27 ₱143

$1.85 ₫48.0K

22.70%

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

$1.60 ₱101

$0.56 ₫14.6K

185.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 ₱33.19

$0.32 ₫8,185

65.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 ₱97.6

$1.06 ₫27.5K

46.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₱119

$1.72 ₫44.5K

10.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ₱100

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-4.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱70.9

$1.11 ₫28.7K

1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ₱59.2

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-6.00%

Eggs

$1.79 ₱113

$1.67 ₫43.1K

7.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 ₱540

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-28.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 ₱290

$3.68 ₫95.2K

25.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.62 ₱480

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-25.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.92 ₱121

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-35.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 ₱87.5

$1.24 ₫32.2K

12.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 ₱118

$1.56 ₫40.3K

19.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.1

$1.30 ₫33.6K

17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$2.41 ₱152

$1.23 ₫31.9K

95.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 ₱123

$1.15 ₫29.8K

70.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.14 ₱71.8

$0.74 ₫19.1K

54.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₱29.49

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.91 ₱183

$1.24 ₫32.1K

134.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.70 ₱359

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-54.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₱49.65

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱97.9

$1.53 ₫39.6K

1.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.60

$0.26 ₫6,694

-11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.32 ₱713

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-1.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₱46.14

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.53

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-65.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.94 ₱122

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-35.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₱57.0

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-6.25%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-31.73%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-36.72%

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

$58.9 ₱3,711

$102 ₫2.6M

-42.20%

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

$6.75 ₱425

$5.89 ₫152.5K

14.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.52 ₱1,544

$10.49 ₫271.6K

133.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.96 ₱1,320

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-17.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.71 ₱297

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-60.49%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 ₱247

$3.53 ₫91.3K

11.05%

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

$135 ₱8,504

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,988 ₱502.9K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-65.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$32.48 ₱2,045

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-38.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.59 ₱1,233

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-42.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$66.4 ₱4,183

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-26.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.63 ₱2,999

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-49.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$280 ₱17.7K

$589 ₫15.3M

-52.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ₱21.6K

$298 ₫7.7M

15.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 ₱35.7K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-56.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₱24.6K

$711 ₫18.4M

-45.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$947 ₱59.6K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-79.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,014 ₱63.8K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-46.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

8.64

-16.67%

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

Last update for Panglao: 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

Panglao

$343 42%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 13.2% $45

Groceries & Markets

Panglao

$183 22.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 13.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Panglao

$90 11%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 31.2% $28

Eating Out

Panglao

$84 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 24.3% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Panglao

$75 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 63.8% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Panglao

$29 3.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 13.2% $3.8

Getting Around

Panglao

$14 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 17.8% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $280 in Panglao and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $24.00 in Panglao vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $183 vs $207, with Panglao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Panglao

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

08:16 8:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

1 h behind Panglao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,839

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

Panglao Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Panglao
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

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

Panglao wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Panglao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,226 in Panglao and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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: $280 in Panglao 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 $817 per month in Panglao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Panglao runs roughly 2% 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 $817 in Panglao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Panglao but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Panglao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Panglao delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $817 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Panglao hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Panglao 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 Panglao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.