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): $855 a month against $1,037 in Phnom Penh, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh 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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Phnom Penh

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$1,037

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/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: $1,037 in Phnom Penh versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $1,037
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Phnom Penh versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $1,654
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,271 in Phnom Penh versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Phnom Penh $2,271
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

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

$4.08 ៛16.6K

$1.90 ₫49.1K

114.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.62 ៛160.7K

$23.32 ₫603.5K

69.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.91 ៛28.0K

$4.67 ₫120.9K

47.97%

Cappuccino

$3.02 ៛12.3K

$1.85 ₫47.9K

63.24%

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

$1.87 ៛7,583

$0.56 ₫14.4K

233.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 ៛2,487

$0.34 ₫8,857

79.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 ៛3,969

$1.01 ₫26.2K

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ៛11.9K

$1.69 ₫43.7K

73.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 ៛8,815

$1.58 ₫40.8K

37.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 ៛6,516

$1.04 ₫27.0K

54.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.07 ៛4,322

$0.99 ₫25.7K

8.08%

Eggs

$1.73 ៛7,033

$1.60 ₫41.5K

8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.96 ៛60.7K

$12.23 ₫316.6K

22.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ៛16.5K

$3.54 ₫91.7K

14.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.25 ៛37.5K

$10.44 ₫270.2K

-11.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.87 ៛15.7K

$3.09 ₫79.9K

25.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ៛6,889

$1.26 ₫32.5K

34.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 ៛17.4K

$1.57 ₫40.6K

173.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ៛8,659

$1.26 ₫32.5K

69.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 ៛6,559

$1.17 ₫30.4K

38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 ៛5,180

$1.15 ₫29.7K

11.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ៛4,663

$0.72 ₫18.7K

59.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 ៛3,104

$0.54 ₫14.0K

42.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.95 ៛7,895

$1.22 ₫31.5K

59.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.20 ៛45.4K

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-8.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ៛4,171

$0.98 ₫25.4K

5.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ៛7,274

$1.49 ₫38.5K

20.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.47 ៛1,903

$0.28 ₫7,249

67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.74 ៛39.5K

$11.62 ₫300.8K

-16.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ៛4,461

$0.73 ₫18.9K

50.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ៛3,960

$0.64 ₫16.7K

53.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.15 ៛20.9K

$3.17 ₫82.0K

62.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ៛5,492

$0.95 ₫24.6K

42.11%

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

$35.5K ៛144.1M

$30.7K ₫795.6M

15.60%

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

$43.9K ៛177.9M

$30.6K ₫791.6M

43.37%

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

$106 ៛431.9K

$102 ₫2.6M

4.10%

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

$7.39 ៛30.0K

$5.65 ₫146.1K

30.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.24 ៛102.4K

$10.52 ₫272.2K

139.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.80 ៛165.5K

$25.86 ₫669.2K

57.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.94 ៛44.4K

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-7.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$3.39 ₫87.8K

46.61%

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

$665 ៛2.7M

$438 ₫11.3M

51.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K ៛44.6M

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-52.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.67 ៛112.2K

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-46.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.26 ៛98.4K

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-29.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 ៛364.1K

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.1 ៛239.7K

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-37.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$639 ៛2.6M

$577 ₫14.9M

10.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ៛1.5M

$292 ₫7.6M

26.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 ៛4.7M

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-11.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 ៛3.3M

$717 ₫18.6M

11.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,883 ៛11.7M

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-38.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,488 ៛6.0M

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-20.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$330 ៛1.3M

$486 ₫12.6M

-32.00%

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 6, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Phnom Penh

$370 35.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 20.9% $77

Groceries & Markets

Phnom Penh

$252 24.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 18.4% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phnom Penh

$139 13.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 14.9% $21

Eating Out

Phnom Penh

$110 10.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 42.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Phnom Penh

$90 8.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 35.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Phnom Penh

$51 4.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 35.7% $18

Getting Around

Phnom Penh

$18 1.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 5.1% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $639 in Phnom Penh and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 47% 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 $252 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Phnom Penh

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

09:11 9:11 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 = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,549 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 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 KHR in detail →

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Phnom Penh Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 210 km

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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 47% 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: $639 in Phnom Penh versus $577 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 $1,037 per month in Phnom Penh versus $855 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 19% less than in Phnom Penh. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,037 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 $855 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.