Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $630 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Anshan
🇨🇳 China
$630
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $630 in Anshan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Anshan $630
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,018 in Anshan versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Anshan $1,018
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,406 in Anshan versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Anshan $1,406
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Anshan costs roughly 27% 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: Anshan 53% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.08 ¥20.59
$1.91 ₫49.6K
61.26%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.82 ¥126
$22.84 ₫591.2K
-17.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.36 ¥29.16
$4.54 ₫117.6K
-3.96%
Cappuccino
$2.49 ¥16.65
$1.85 ₫48.0K
34.59%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ¥2.58
$0.56 ₫14.6K
-30.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 ¥1.54
$0.32 ₫8,185
-28.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.78 ¥5.25
$1.06 ₫27.5K
-26.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66 ¥11.09
$1.72 ₫44.5K
-3.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.77 ¥11.83
$1.66 ₫42.9K
6.63%
White Bread (500g)
$1.29 ¥8.64
$1.11 ₫28.7K
16.22%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.35 ¥2.37
$1.00 ₫25.9K
-65.00%
Eggs
$1.06 ¥7.12
$1.67 ₫43.1K
-36.53%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.74 ¥58.4
$12.08 ₫312.8K
-27.65%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$1.77 ¥11.82
$3.68 ₫95.2K
-51.90%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.11 ¥60.9
$10.24 ₫265.1K
-11.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.06 ¥7.11
$2.96 ₫76.5K
-64.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 ¥7.82
$1.24 ₫32.2K
-5.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.18 ¥7.88
$1.56 ₫40.3K
-24.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.17 ¥7.81
$1.30 ₫33.6K
-10.00%
Potato (1kg)
$0.31 ¥2.09
$1.23 ₫31.9K
-74.80%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 ¥5.95
$1.15 ₫29.8K
-22.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.29 ¥1.94
$0.74 ₫19.1K
-60.81%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 ¥2.89
$0.56 ₫14.4K
-23.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.66 ¥24.45
$1.24 ₫32.1K
195.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.66 ¥51.2
$12.60 ₫326.1K
-39.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 ¥5.14
$0.96 ₫24.9K
-19.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 ¥7.38
$1.53 ₫39.6K
-28.10%
🚌 Getting Around
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 ¥1.94
$0.26 ₫6,694
11.54%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.75 ¥119
$11.51 ₫297.9K
54.21%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.07 ¥7.13
$0.75 ₫19.5K
42.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.16 ¥1.06
$0.67 ₫17.4K
-76.12%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 ¥19.53
$3.03 ₫78.5K
-3.63%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 ¥7.07
$0.96 ₫24.8K
10.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.5K ¥130.6K
$31.1K ₫804.3M
-37.11%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$15.2K ¥101.9K
$30.4K ₫785.9M
-49.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$29.30 ¥196
$102 ₫2.6M
-71.27%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.25 ¥48.47
$5.89 ₫152.5K
23.09%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.66 ¥98.0
$10.49 ₫271.6K
39.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.00 ¥281
$25.54 ₫661.2K
64.45%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.17 ¥101
$11.92 ₫308.5K
27.27%
Cinema Ticket
$5.91 ¥39.53
$3.53 ₫91.3K
67.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$221 ¥1,478
$436 ₫11.3M
-49.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$21.7K ¥144.9K
$23.3K ₫602.8M
-6.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$37.91 ¥253
$52.8 ₫1.4M
-28.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$33.24 ¥222
$34.15 ₫884.1K
-2.66%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$60.1 ¥402
$90.3 ₫2.3M
-33.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.2 ¥470
$95.0 ₫2.5M
-26.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$298 ¥1,996
$589 ₫15.3M
-49.37%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$184 ¥1,229
$298 ₫7.7M
-38.30%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$626 ¥4,187
$1,292 ₫33.5M
-51.54%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$380 ¥2,540
$711 ₫18.4M
-46.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,597 ¥24.0K
$4,676 ₫121.1M
-23.08%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,957 ¥13.1K
$1,904 ₫49.3M
2.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Anshan
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$960 ¥6,418
$490 ₫12.7M
96.08%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2
8.64
-76.85%

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

Last update for Anshan: October 12, 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.
Accommodation & Living
Anshan
$184
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$298 62.1% $114
Groceries & Markets
Anshan
$152
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$207 36.4% $55
Clothing & Footwear
Anshan
$91
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$122 35.1% $32
Eating Out
Anshan
$77
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63 17.9% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Anshan
$54
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33 39.4% $21
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Anshan
$51
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118 131% $67
Getting Around
Anshan
$21
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17 19.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $298 in Anshan and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Anshan pays 96% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Anshan vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $152 vs $207 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Anshan
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🕒 Local time
05:09 5:09 AM
04:09 4:09 AM
1 h behind Anshan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,543,696
9,456,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Anshan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Anshan
  • 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
Anshan vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper than Anshan?
Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 36% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Anshan or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Average pay runs 96% higher in Anshan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Anshan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Rent for a central apartment: $298 in Anshan versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Is eating out cheaper in Anshan or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
What are total monthly expenses in Anshan and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
All in, you'll spend $630 per month in Anshan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Anshan or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
At $630 in Anshan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Anshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Anshan or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) more family-friendly?
For families, Anshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Anshan or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Safety-wise, Anshan 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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