Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Tarlac City: $531 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tarlac City
Learn more

Tarlac City Living Index
42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Tarlac City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$531

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $531 in Tarlac City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tarlac City $531
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $815 in Tarlac City versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tarlac City $815
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,098 in Tarlac City versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Tarlac City $1,098
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Tarlac City costs roughly 38% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tarlac City 61% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.04 ₱129

$1.91 ₫49.6K

6.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.02 ₱505

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-64.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-37.44%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₱116

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-0.54%

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

$0.46 ₱28.88

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.04

$0.32 ₫8,185

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.2

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-3.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ₱102

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-5.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ₱107

$1.66 ₫42.9K

2.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.5

$1.11 ₫28.7K

3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 ₱63.8

$1.00 ₫25.9K

1.00%

Eggs

$1.95 ₱123

$1.67 ₫43.1K

16.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱325

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-57.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.66 ₱168

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-27.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.37 ₱401

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-37.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.61 ₱101

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-45.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 ₱99.6

$1.24 ₫32.2K

27.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.95 ₱123

$1.56 ₫40.3K

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.1

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-18.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ₱110

$1.23 ₫31.9K

41.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₱75.6

$1.15 ₫29.8K

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ₱39.30

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ₱30.88

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.99 ₱188

$1.24 ₫32.1K

141.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.80 ₱239

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-69.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱56.4

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ₱96.9

$1.53 ₫39.6K

0.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 ₱14.42

$0.26 ₫6,694

-11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.22 ₱517

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-28.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱47.98

$0.75 ₫19.5K

1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ₱15.82

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-62.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 ₱83.2

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-56.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 ₱75.2

$0.96 ₫24.8K

23.96%

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

$21.2K ₱1.3M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-31.70%

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

$19.5K ₱1.2M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-35.80%

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

$89.9 ₱5,661

$102 ₫2.6M

-11.84%

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

$5.72 ₱360

$5.89 ₫152.5K

-2.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.40 ₱1,473

$10.49 ₫271.6K

123.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.83 ₱2,508

$25.54 ₫661.2K

55.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.18 ₱1,019

$11.92 ₫308.5K

35.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.12 ₱322

$3.53 ₫91.3K

45.04%

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

$132 ₱8,311

$436 ₫11.3M

-69.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱669.2K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-54.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.81 ₱1,814

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-45.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 ₱1,224

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-43.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.3 ₱3,924

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-30.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.52 ₱3,118

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-47.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$87.6 ₱5,512

$589 ₫15.3M

-85.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$70.7 ₱4,451

$298 ₫7.7M

-76.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 ₱16.3K

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-80.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$165 ₱10.4K

$711 ₫18.4M

-76.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$375 ₱23.6K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-91.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$292 ₱18.4K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-84.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 ₱13.2K

$490 ₫12.7M

-57.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

8.64

-21.88%

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

Last update for Tarlac City: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Tarlac City

$150 28.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 38.1% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tarlac City

$119 22.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 0.6% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Tarlac City

$72 13.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 70% $50

Accommodation & Living

Tarlac City

$71 13.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 321% $227

Eating Out

Tarlac City

$58 11%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 8.7% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Tarlac City

$50 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 34.9% $17

Getting Around

Tarlac City

$11 2.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 49.3% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $87.6 in Tarlac City and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 133% 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: $8.00 in Tarlac City vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $150 vs $207 per month, with Tarlac City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Tarlac City

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

13:52 1:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

1 h behind Tarlac City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,398

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 18, 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 18, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Tarlac City
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

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

Tarlac City wins on cost – living expenses run 62% 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.

On paper, salaries run 133% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $87.6 in Tarlac City 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 $531 per month in Tarlac City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 62% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Tarlac City runs roughly 40% 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 $531 in Tarlac City versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 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 work as nomad bases, but Tarlac City delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $531 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Tarlac City hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Tarlac City 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 Tarlac City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 62% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.