Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
Dumaguete is easier to travel (2.4 vs 3.0). Biggest gap: rip-offs & haggling โ Dumaguete 2 vs Ho Chi Minh City 4. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
| Item | Dumaguete | Ho Chi Minh City | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | โฑ 150$2.63 | โซ 60,000$2.28 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Street food1 item | โฑ 40$0.7 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Dumaguete โ47% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | โฑ 450$7.89 | โซ 280,000$10.6 | Dumaguete โ26% |
| Coffeeone cup | โฑ 130$2.28 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Ho Chi Minh City โ17% |
| Beerone bottle | โฑ 70$1.23 | โซ 35,000$1.33 | Dumaguete โ8% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | โฑ 200$3.51 | โซ 120,000$4.56 | Dumaguete โ23% |
| Bottled water | โฑ 20$0.35 | โซ 9,000$0.34 | similar |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | โฑ 30$0.53 | โซ 15,000$0.57 | Dumaguete โ8% |
| Taxi5 km in town | โฑ 120$2.11 | โซ 70,000$2.66 | Dumaguete โ21% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | โฑ 50$0.88 | โซ 20,000$0.76 | Ho Chi Minh City โ13% |
| Transitone ride | โฑ 15$0.26 | โซ 7,000$0.27 | similar |
| Scooter rentalper day | โฑ 400$7.02 | โซ 150,000$5.7 | Ho Chi Minh City โ19% |
| Hotel night3-star | โฑ 1,800$31.6 | โซ 1,000,000$38 | Dumaguete โ17% |
| Studio rent (month) | โฑ 16,000$281 | โซ 10,000,000$380 | Dumaguete โ26% |
| Laundry | โฑ 40$0.7 | โซ 30,000$1.14 | Dumaguete โ38% |
| SIM card1 week data | โฑ 200$3.51 | โซ 200,000$7.6 | Dumaguete โ54% |
| Haircutcut | โฑ 100$1.75 | โซ 100,000$3.8 | Dumaguete โ54% |
| Massage1 hour | โฑ 400$7.02 | โซ 300,000$11.4 | Dumaguete โ38% |
| Half-day tourper person | โฑ 1,000$17.5 | โซ 650,000$24.7 | Dumaguete โ29% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | โฑ 50$0.88 | โซ 50,000$1.9 | Dumaguete โ54% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
Dumaguete is 17% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City. Daily budget $57.8 vs $68; a month $1,046 vs $1,302.
Dumaguete is easier: Dumaguete 2.4/5 vs Ho Chi Minh City 3.0/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
With a short-term studio and living costs, Dumaguete is about $1,046 and Ho Chi Minh City about $1,302 per month.
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.