Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $907 in Pasay, rent and utilities included – about $580 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pasay outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
Learn more

Pasay Living Index
42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$907

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $907 in Pasay versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pasay $907
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,237 in Pasay versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pasay $1,237
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,567 in Pasay versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Pasay $1,567
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Pasay is roughly 6% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pasay 33% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ₱277

$1.91 ₫49.6K

130.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₱1,193

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-17.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-37.44%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ₱142

$1.85 ₫48.0K

22.16%

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

$0.59 ₱37.38

$0.56 ₫14.6K

5.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.21

$0.32 ₫8,185

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.06 ₫27.5K

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-8.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱108

$1.66 ₫42.9K

3.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.5

$1.11 ₫28.7K

1.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-3.00%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱124

$1.67 ₫43.1K

17.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱324

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ₱260

$3.68 ₫95.2K

12.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱452

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-29.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-24.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.4

$1.24 ₫32.2K

23.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$1.56 ₫40.3K

48.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-10.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 ₱149

$1.23 ₫31.9K

92.68%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₱211

$1.15 ₫29.8K

190.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$0.74 ₫19.1K

68.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$0.56 ₫14.4K

55.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$1.24 ₫32.1K

132.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱484

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-39.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱61.7

$0.96 ₫24.9K

2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₱111

$1.53 ₫39.6K

15.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₱10.44

$0.26 ₫6,694

-34.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.74

$0.75 ₫19.5K

2.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.21

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-68.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-38.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.1

$0.96 ₫24.8K

29.17%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-30.74%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-36.62%

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

$139 ₱8,746

$102 ₫2.6M

36.14%

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

$14.54 ₱916

$5.89 ₫152.5K

146.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.75 ₱1,559

$10.49 ₫271.6K

135.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.70 ₱3,004

$25.54 ₫661.2K

86.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$3.53 ₫91.3K

49.01%

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

$71.9 ₱4,526

$436 ₫11.3M

-83.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,541 ₱160.1K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-89.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.39 ₱2,229

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-32.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.32 ₱1,217

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-43.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,508

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-20.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ₱4,006

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-33.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$589 ₫15.3M

-27.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$298 ₫7.7M

4.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₱52.1K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-36.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₱22.9K

$711 ₫18.4M

-48.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,891 ₱119.1K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-59.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 ₱36.2K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-69.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 ₱32.1K

$490 ₫12.7M

4.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-18.98%

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

Last update for Pasay: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$313 34.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 4.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$186 20.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 11.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 33.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$85 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 43.3% $37

Eating Out

Pasay

$83 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 23.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$58 6.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 44% $26

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.5 * 0.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 571% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $429 in Pasay and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Pasay pays 4% 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: $19.00 in Pasay vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $207 per month, with Pasay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

19:57 7:57 PM

18:57 6:57 PM

1 h behind Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

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 = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Pasay
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Pasay. 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.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Pasay, 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: $429 in Pasay versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Pasay pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $907 per month in Pasay versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 6% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $907 in Pasay, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Pasay. 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, Pasay 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 6% less than in Pasay. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.