Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in the Philippines: $754 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in the Philippines
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Philippines 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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🇵🇭 Philippines

$754

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.08 ₱256

$1.90 ₫49.1K

114.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.43 ₱1,344

$23.32 ₫603.5K

-8.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.18 ₱199

$4.67 ₫120.9K

-31.91%

Cappuccino

$2.22 ₱139

$1.85 ₫47.9K

20.00%

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

$0.70 ₱43.83

$0.56 ₫14.4K

25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₱22.97

$0.34 ₫8,857

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ₱81.2

$1.01 ₫26.2K

27.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ₱126

$1.69 ₫43.7K

18.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱106

$1.58 ₫40.8K

6.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 ₱74.1

$1.04 ₫27.0K

13.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ₱54.3

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-12.12%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱123

$1.60 ₫41.5K

22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.95 ₱436

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-43.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ₱269

$3.54 ₫91.7K

21.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.07 ₱444

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-32.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 ₱182

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-6.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ₱90.2

$1.26 ₫32.5K

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 ₱158

$1.57 ₫40.6K

60.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ₱94.4

$1.26 ₫32.5K

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ₱137

$1.17 ₫30.4K

87.18%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$1.15 ₫29.7K

122.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₱83.2

$0.72 ₫18.7K

84.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 ₱40.91

$0.54 ₫14.0K

20.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 ₱177

$1.22 ₫31.5K

131.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 ₱389

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-49.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 ₱73.5

$0.98 ₫25.4K

19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ₱108

$1.49 ₫38.5K

16.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₱17.68

$0.28 ₫7,249

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.71 ₱797

$11.62 ₫300.8K

9.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 ₱48.96

$0.73 ₫18.9K

6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.43

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-64.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₱118

$3.17 ₫82.0K

-40.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ₱72.6

$0.95 ₫24.6K

22.11%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-31.00%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-36.30%

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

$103 ₱6,459

$102 ₫2.6M

0.66%

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

$14.13 ₱886

$5.65 ₫146.1K

150.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.09 ₱1,699

$10.52 ₫272.2K

157.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.47 ₱1,974

$25.86 ₫669.2K

21.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.95 ₱373

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-49.66%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 ₱342

$3.39 ₫87.8K

61.06%

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

$142 ₱8,889

$438 ₫11.3M

-67.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,663 ₱355.2K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-75.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.92 ₱2,755

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-14.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.08 ₱1,510

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-30.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.1 ₱4,210

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.4 ₱3,789

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-36.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₱20.2K

$577 ₫14.9M

-44.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 ₱11.5K

$292 ₫7.6M

-37.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$652 ₱40.9K

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-49.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 ₱22.2K

$717 ₫18.6M

-50.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 ₱188.0K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-36.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,394 ₱87.4K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-25.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 ₱19.6K

$486 ₫12.6M

-35.56%

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 the Philippines: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Philippines

$191 25.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 7.7% $15

Accommodation & Living

Philippines

$184 24.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 58.9% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Philippines

$144 19.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 17.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Philippines

$88 11.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 39.3% $35

Eating Out

Philippines

$84 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 24.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Philippines

$42 5.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 23% $9.7

Getting Around

Philippines

$16 2.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 5.9% $0.9

Good to know

🇵🇭 Philippines

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

15:51 3:51 PM

14:51 2:51 PM

1 h behind the Philippines

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,035,343

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

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