Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $490 a month against $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
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Tarlac City Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$850

/mo nomad

Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$490

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Tarlac City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $490 in Tarlac City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850
Tarlac City $490

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,386 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $794 in Tarlac City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386
Tarlac City $794

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,921 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,097 in Tarlac City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921
Tarlac City $1,097

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 73% more expensive than in Tarlac City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower, Tarlac City 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₫54.4K

$2.02 ₱127

5.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.43 ₫599.4K

$24.11 ₱1,519

-2.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 ₫116.3K

$2.74 ₱173

66.06%

Cappuccino

$1.78 ₫45.6K

$1.65 ₱104

7.88%

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

$0.53 ₫13.5K

$0.31 ₱19.63

70.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,156

$0.31 ₱19.39

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 ₫27.6K

$1.08 ₱68.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.3K

$1.88 ₱119

-10.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.5K

$1.68 ₱106

-1.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 ₫30.4K

$0.81 ₱50.8

46.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ₫26.3K

$0.84 ₱53.1

22.62%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫42.8K

$1.90 ₱120

-12.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.24 ₫313.0K

$2.36 ₱149

418.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫90.5K

$2.92 ₱184

21.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 ₫262.2K

$7.07 ₱445

44.98%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 ₫79.6K

$1.37 ₱86.4

127.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.3K

$2.08 ₱131

-41.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₫36.7K

$1.86 ₱117

-23.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 ₫31.3K

$0.92 ₱57.8

32.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.6K

$1.35 ₱84.8

-11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.8K

$1.33 ₱83.6

-9.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.6K

$0.61 ₱38.52

19.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.4K

$0.35 ₱22.35

48.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.23 ₫31.4K

$2.82 ₱178

-56.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.55 ₫295.5K

$3.52 ₱222

228.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ₫23.8K

$1.52 ₱95.8

-38.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫37.8K

$3.07 ₱194

-51.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,182

$0.25 ₱15.76

12.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫297.1K

$9.63 ₱607

20.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.4K

$1.01 ₱63.5

-24.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫15.7K

$0.20 ₱12.60

210.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 ₫79.8K

$1.36 ₱85.7

129.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

$1.22 ₱76.9

-26.23%

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

$30.9K ₫790.5M

$29.9K ₱1.9M

3.32%

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

$29.6K ₫756.9M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

52.73%

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

$99.8 ₫2.6M

$94.8 ₱5,975

5.28%

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

$5.75 ₫147.0K

$5.48 ₱345

4.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ₫263.1K

$15.64 ₱986

-34.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 ₫465.0K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.16 ₫311.0K

Cinema Ticket

$3.90 ₫99.7K

$4.76 ₱300

-18.07%

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

$530 ₫13.6M

$93.1 ₱5,869

469.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$26.6K ₫681.4M

$13.5K ₱853.8K

96.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.3M

$47.30 ₱2,982

11.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 ₫892.2K

$36.57 ₱2,305

-4.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.1 ₫2.4M

$70.1 ₱4,418

35.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₫2.4M

$62.5 ₱3,941

52.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 ₫15.8M

$55.1 ₱3,471

1020.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.6M

$54.5 ₱3,438

445.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 ₫33.5M

$186 ₱11.7K

604.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 ₫18.1M

$144 ₱9,102

390.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,430 ₫113.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,011 ₫51.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ₫12.9M

$229 ₱14.4K

120.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

23.43%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 31, 2026

Last update for Tarlac City: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 35%

Tarlac City

$55 11.1% 81.7% $243

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$205 24.1%

Tarlac City

$144 29.4% 29.7% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$125 14.7%

Tarlac City

$97 19.9% 22.2% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$116 13.6%

Tarlac City

$116 23.7% 0.1% $0.1

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.6%

Tarlac City

$56 11.4% 13.1% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$26 3.1%

Tarlac City

$9.5 * 1.9% 63.3% $16

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Tarlac City

$13 2.6% 23.7% $3.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $55 in Tarlac City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays about 2.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24 in Tarlac City. Groceries flip the comparison at $205 vs $144, with Tarlac City cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

385,398

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.51 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 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 November 9, 2026: 1 USD = 25,580 VND (100,000 VND = 3.91 USD). 1 EUR = 28,524 VND (100,000 VND = 3.51 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 9, 2026: 1 USD = 63.03 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.29 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Tarlac City 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Tarlac City

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 Tarlac City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tarlac City wins on cost – living expenses run 42% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Tarlac City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is about 2.2 times higher, 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: $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $55 in Tarlac City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $850 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $490 in Tarlac City – Tarlac City is about 42% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Tarlac City runs roughly 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $490 in Tarlac City versus $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $800 budget is realistic in Tarlac City but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Tarlac City 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 Tarlac City are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Tarlac City wins on affordability, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.