Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Surigao: $736 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Surigao
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Surigao 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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Surigao

🇵🇭 Philippines

$736

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $736 in Surigao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Surigao $736
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,124 in Surigao versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Surigao $1,124
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,512 in Surigao versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Surigao $1,512
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Surigao costs roughly 14% 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: Surigao 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.98 ₱251

$1.91 ₫49.6K

108.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.81 ₱1,122

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-22.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.87 ₱181

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-36.78%

Cappuccino

$1.99 ₱125

$1.85 ₫48.0K

7.57%

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

$0.73 ₱45.85

$0.56 ₫14.6K

30.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₱19.84

$0.32 ₫8,185

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.26 ₱79.4

$1.06 ₫27.5K

18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ₱134

$1.72 ₫44.5K

23.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ₱102

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ₱61.6

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-11.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₱62.0

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-1.00%

Eggs

$1.94 ₱122

$1.67 ₫43.1K

16.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.75 ₱362

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-52.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.14 ₱261

$3.68 ₫95.2K

12.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 ₱433

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-32.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₱131

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-30.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.2

$1.24 ₫32.2K

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 ₱161

$1.56 ₫40.3K

64.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ₱73.6

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.23 ₫31.9K

58.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.76 ₱111

$1.15 ₫29.8K

53.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 ₱51.5

$0.74 ₫19.1K

10.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₱37.75

$0.56 ₫14.4K

7.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.97 ₱187

$1.24 ₫32.1K

139.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 ₱427

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-46.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 ₱66.3

$0.96 ₫24.9K

9.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₱108

$1.53 ₫39.6K

12.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.48

$0.26 ₫6,694

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.30 ₱712

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-1.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 ₱41.51

$0.75 ₫19.5K

-12.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.66

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-65.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-38.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ₱83.0

$0.96 ₫24.8K

37.50%

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

$18.7K ₱1.2M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-39.80%

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

$18.0K ₱1.1M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-40.78%

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

$124 ₱7,799

$102 ₫2.6M

21.46%

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

$15.97 ₱1,006

$5.89 ₫152.5K

171.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.80 ₱2,191

$10.49 ₫271.6K

231.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.92 ₱2,262

$25.54 ₫661.2K

40.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.18 ₱326

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-56.54%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 ₱313

$3.53 ₫91.3K

40.51%

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

$144 ₱9,095

$436 ₫11.3M

-66.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,892 ₱433.9K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-70.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.99 ₱2,329

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-29.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.93 ₱1,318

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-38.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,384

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-22.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.50 ₱3,116

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-47.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$243 ₱15.3K

$589 ₫15.3M

-58.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ₱10.6K

$298 ₫7.7M

-43.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$461 ₱29.0K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-64.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 ₱22.9K

$711 ₫18.4M

-48.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,434 ₱153.3K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-47.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,108 ₱69.8K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-41.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

8.64

-21.41%

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

Last update for Surigao: 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.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Surigao

$175 23.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 32.2% $56

Groceries & Markets

Surigao

$174 23.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 18.9% $33

Accommodation & Living

Surigao

$168 22.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 77% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Surigao

$80 10.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 53.7% $43

Eating Out

Surigao

$79 10.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 19.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Surigao

$46 6.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 28.9% $13

Getting Around

Surigao

$14 1.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 17.5% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $243 in Surigao and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $18.00 in Surigao vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $174 vs $207 per month, with Surigao cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Surigao

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h behind Surigao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,107

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 19, 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 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Surigao Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,060 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Surigao
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

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

Surigao wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Surigao the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,104 in Surigao 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: $243 in Surigao 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 $736 per month in Surigao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Surigao 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 $736 in Surigao versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Surigao but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Surigao the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Surigao delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $736 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Surigao hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Surigao 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 Surigao gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.