Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Clark Freeport: $728 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Clark Freeport
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Clark Freeport Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Clark Freeport

🇵🇭 Philippines

$728

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Clark Freeport

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Clark Freeport actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $728 in Clark Freeport.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Clark Freeport $728

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,107 in Clark Freeport.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Clark Freeport $1,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,485 in Clark Freeport.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Clark Freeport $1,485

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 18% more expensive than in Clark Freeport, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Clark Freeport 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$3.79 ₱239

-47.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$16.54 ₱1,042

39.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$2.76 ₱174

72.46%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.27 ₱143

-18.06%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.62 ₱39.17

-17.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.31 ₱19.41

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.17 ₱73.7

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.90 ₱120

-10.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.61 ₱101

-1.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.16 ₱72.8

-6.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.91 ₱57.3

15.38%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.95 ₱123

-15.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$5.42 ₱341

127.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.20 ₱264

-14.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$7.08 ₱446

49.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.35 ₱148

26.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.58 ₱99.7

-20.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$2.43 ₱153

-33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.12 ₱70.3

16.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.95 ₱123

-38.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.95 ₱123

-41.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.92 ₱57.7

-20.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.58 ₱36.79

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.02 ₱190

-57.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$7.75 ₱488

60.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.96 ₱60.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.85 ₱117

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.20 ₱12.58

30.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$10.93 ₱688

4.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.73 ₱46.09

-6.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.23 ₱14.53

169.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$1.94 ₱122

54.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.24 ₱78.3

-26.61%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$21.6K ₱1.4M

41.40%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$19.2K ₱1.2M

53.29%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$124 ₱7,804

-16.28%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$14.89 ₱937

-61.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$24.30 ₱1,530

-56.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$31.96 ₱2,012

-18.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$4.77 ₱300

149.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.27 ₱332

-26.19%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$135 ₱8,486

226.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$7,924 ₱498.9K

203.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$33.07 ₱2,082

53.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$19.65 ₱1,237

79.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$71.5 ₱4,503

28.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$56.2 ₱3,536

71.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$266 ₱16.7K

119.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$170 ₱10.7K

74.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$508 ₱32.0K

155.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$351 ₱22.1K

107.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,385 ₱150.2K

100.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$991 ₱62.4K

86.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$313 ₱19.7K

56.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

6.79

27.25%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Last update for Clark Freeport: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Clark Freeport

$170 23.4% 42.6% $126

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Clark Freeport

$179 24.5% 14% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Clark Freeport

$81 11.2% 34.3% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Clark Freeport

$163 22.4% 35.9% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Clark Freeport

$79 10.9% 23.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Clark Freeport

$43 5.8% 25.5% $8.6

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Clark Freeport

$14 1.9% 16.3% $2.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $266 in Clark Freeport. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $17.00 in Clark Freeport for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $179 per month, with Clark Freeport cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Clark Freeport

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

05:21 5:21 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Clark Freeport 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Clark Freeport

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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Clark Freeport differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($862 vs $728 including rent). Clark Freeport is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $266 in Clark Freeport. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Clark Freeport – a meal for two runs $17.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $728 in Clark Freeport – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $728 in Clark Freeport versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Clark Freeport but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Clark Freeport the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Clark Freeport 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 Clark Freeport gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.