Ho Chi Minh City vs El Nido
💰
El Nido saves you $300/month
📶
Ho Chi Minh City has 3x faster internet
🌡️
Tropical Monsoon vs Tropical Wet climate
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Ho Chi Minh City
El Nido
Total Budget
$1,400/mo
$1,100/mo ✓
Rent (1BR)
$550/mo
$400/mo ✓
Coworking
$120/mo
$120/mo
Meal Out
$3 ✓
$4
Coffee
$2
$2
El Nido is $300/mo cheaper (27% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City
📶 Internet150 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+7
🗣️ Englishlow
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West0h
🇺🇸 US East0h
🇬🇧 London4h
🇩🇪 Berlin5h
🇵🇭 El Nido
📶 Internet50 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+8
🗣️ Englishhigh
🛂 Nomad VisaNot available
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West0h
🇺🇸 US East0h
🇬🇧 London3h
🇩🇪 Berlin4h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Ho Chi Minh City
ClimateTropical Monsoon
Avg Temp28°C
Rainy Days215/year
Best months: January, February, March, December
El Nido
ClimateTropical Wet
Avg Temp27°C
Rainy Days245/year
Best months: February, March, April
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
27°26°
Apr
30°28°
Jul
27°27°
Oct
27°27°
Ho Chi Minh CityEl Nido
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇻🇳Ho Chi Minh City
🇵🇭El Nido
💰
Monthly Budget
$1,400
$1,100
Winner📶
Internet Speed
150 Mbps
Winner50 Mbps
🛡️
Safety
3.8/5
4.3/5
Winner⭐
Nomad Score
4.4/10
4.2/10
🍽️
Food Scene
10/10
Winner7/10
🎉
Nightlife
9/10
Winner6/10
🚶
Walkability
6/10
6/10
👥
Community
large
Winnersmall
4
Ho Chi Minh City wins
vs
2
El Nido wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
El Nido
$300/mo cheaper with similar quality of life
💻Developer
Ho Chi Minh City
150 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Ho Chi Minh City
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
El Nido
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Ho Chi Minh City
Better food scene with incredible variety
🎉Party Person
Ho Chi Minh City
World-famous nightlife scene
🇻🇳Ho Chi Minh City
Pros
- +Extremely affordable cost of living ($1,000-1,500/mo)
- +World-class street food scene
- +Fast internet (150+ Mbps fiber)
- +Huge cafe culture with work-friendly spots
Cons
- −Intense traffic and chaotic roads
- −Air pollution on bad days
- −Hot and humid year-round
- −Language barrier (limited English)
🇵🇭El Nido
Pros
- +World-class island hopping with stunning lagoons and beaches
- +Incredibly beautiful limestone cliffs and turquoise waters
- +Excellent diving and snorkeling with vibrant marine life
- +Growing coworking scene with fast fiber internet options
Cons
- −Internet can be unreliable outside coworking spaces
- −Remote location - 5-6 hour drive from Puerto Princesa airport
- −Limited healthcare - serious issues require evacuation
- −Power outages still occur occasionally