Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,035 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
Learn more

Phnom Penh 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

Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,035

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,035 in Phnom Penh versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $1,035
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,675 in Phnom Penh versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $1,675
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,315 in Phnom Penh versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $2,315
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Phnom Penh is roughly 21% 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: Phnom Penh 23% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.09 ៛16.6K

$1.91 ₫49.6K

114.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.96 ៛162.3K

$22.84 ₫591.2K

74.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.93 ៛28.2K

$4.54 ₫117.6K

52.64%

Cappuccino

$2.97 ៛12.1K

$1.85 ₫48.0K

60.54%

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

$1.78 ៛7,248

$0.56 ₫14.6K

217.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 ៛2,695

$0.32 ₫8,185

106.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ៛4,176

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-2.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 ៛12.0K

$1.72 ₫44.5K

71.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.19 ៛8,876

$1.66 ₫42.9K

31.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 ៛6,757

$1.11 ₫28.7K

49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ៛4,518

$1.00 ₫25.9K

11.00%

Eggs

$1.70 ៛6,899

$1.67 ₫43.1K

1.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.06 ៛61.2K

$12.08 ₫312.8K

24.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ៛16.8K

$3.68 ₫95.2K

12.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 ៛36.5K

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-12.11%

Apples (1kg)

$4.04 ៛16.4K

$2.96 ₫76.5K

36.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 ៛7,228

$1.24 ₫32.2K

43.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 ៛17.7K

$1.56 ₫40.3K

178.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ៛8,529

$1.30 ₫33.6K

61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.57 ៛6,391

$1.23 ₫31.9K

27.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 ៛4,990

$1.15 ₫29.8K

6.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 ៛4,801

$0.74 ₫19.1K

59.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,128

$0.56 ₫14.4K

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 ៛7,555

$1.24 ₫32.1K

50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.01 ៛44.7K

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,082

$0.96 ₫24.9K

4.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 ៛7,042

$1.53 ₫39.6K

13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ៛1,741

$0.26 ₫6,694

65.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.58 ៛38.9K

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-16.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 ៛4,428

$0.75 ₫19.5K

45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 ៛4,179

$0.67 ₫17.4K

53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.13 ៛20.9K

$3.03 ₫78.5K

69.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ៛5,284

$0.96 ₫24.8K

35.42%

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

$34.4K ៛139.7M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

10.68%

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

$44.9K ៛182.4M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

47.88%

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

$104 ៛424.3K

$102 ₫2.6M

2.43%

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

$7.48 ៛30.4K

$5.89 ₫152.5K

26.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.51 ៛99.6K

$10.49 ₫271.6K

133.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.31 ៛167.8K

$25.54 ₫661.2K

61.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.87 ៛44.2K

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-8.81%

Cinema Ticket

$4.86 ៛19.7K

$3.53 ₫91.3K

37.68%

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

$669 ៛2.7M

$436 ₫11.3M

53.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.7M

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-52.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.43 ៛115.5K

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-46.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.93 ៛97.2K

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-29.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 ៛372.5K

$90.3 ₫2.3M

1.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.8 ៛242.7K

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-37.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$658 ៛2.7M

$589 ₫15.3M

11.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ៛1.5M

$298 ₫7.7M

26.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 ៛4.6M

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-11.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 ៛3.3M

$711 ₫18.4M

15.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,870 ៛11.7M

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-38.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,519 ៛6.2M

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-20.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$325 ៛1.3M

$490 ₫12.7M

-33.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.07

8.64

-6.60%

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

Last update for Phnom Penh: 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

Phnom Penh

$375 36.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 20.7% $78

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$253 24.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 18.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$136 13.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 13.3% $18

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 42.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$92 8.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 33.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 36.1% $18

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $658 in Phnom Penh 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 51% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $40.00 in Phnom Penh vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

11:18 11:18 AM

Same time as Phnom Penh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,009,264 Capital

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 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 KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phnom Penh Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 210 km

From you

Phnom Penh
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on cost – living expenses run 21% lower than in Phnom Penh. 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 51% 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: $658 in Phnom Penh 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 $1,035 per month in Phnom Penh versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 21% 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 20% less than in Phnom Penh. 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 $1,035 in Phnom Penh, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Phnom Penh. 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, Phnom Penh 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 21% less than in Phnom Penh. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.