Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Giang: $778 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Bac Giang
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Bac Giang Living Index
42

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

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Bac Giang

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$778

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $778 in Bac Giang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bac Giang $778
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,232 in Bac Giang versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bac Giang $1,232
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,687 in Bac Giang versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bac Giang $1,687
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Bac Giang costs roughly 9% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bac Giang 42% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.4K

$1.91 ₫49.6K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.69 ₫406.1K

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-31.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.39 ₫113.6K

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-3.30%

Cappuccino

$1.83 ₫47.3K

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-1.08%

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

$0.36 ₫9,376

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-35.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₫7,334

$0.32 ₫8,185

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.73 ₫19.0K

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-31.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.3K

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-43.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-10.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 ₫28.4K

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-0.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ₫21.0K

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-19.00%

Eggs

$1.50 ₫38.7K

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.53 ₫272.7K

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.79 ₫98.2K

$3.68 ₫95.2K

2.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.66 ₫250.0K

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-5.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.44 ₫89.0K

$2.96 ₫76.5K

16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 ₫28.1K

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-12.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ₫35.3K

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-12.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.6K

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.6K

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-19.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.4K

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-0.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ₫14.9K

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-22.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.1K

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.43 ₫37.0K

$1.24 ₫32.1K

15.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.55 ₫324.9K

$12.60 ₫326.1K

-0.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.0K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-7.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₫42.7K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

7.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,909

$0.26 ₫6,694

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.36 ₫164.6K

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-44.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.6K

$0.75 ₫19.5K

1.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.6K

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.24 ₫58.1K

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-26.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-1.04%

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

$30.3K ₫783.2M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-2.62%

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

$30.4K ₫786.0M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

0.00%

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

$84.4 ₫2.2M

$102 ₫2.6M

-17.29%

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

$5.17 ₫133.8K

$5.89 ₫152.5K

-12.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.06 ₫234.4K

$10.49 ₫271.6K

-13.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.80 ₫564.4K

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-14.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.61 ₫197.0K

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-36.16%

Cinema Ticket

$4.30 ₫111.2K

$3.53 ₫91.3K

21.81%

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

$162 ₫4.2M

$436 ₫11.3M

-62.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.6K ₫715.0M

$23.3K ₫602.8M

18.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.67 ₫1.2M

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-9.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.49 ₫685.9K

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-22.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 ₫2.2M

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-6.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.3 ₫2.0M

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-17.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$146 ₫3.8M

$589 ₫15.3M

-75.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ₫7.2M

$298 ₫7.7M

-7.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₫19.7M

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-41.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 ₫15.8M

$711 ₫18.4M

-13.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,878 ₫74.5M

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-38.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,279 ₫33.1M

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-32.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$206 ₫5.3M

$490 ₫12.7M

-58.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.28

8.64

-4.17%

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

Last update for Bac Giang: 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.

Accommodation & Living

Bac Giang

$276 35.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 7.8% $22

Groceries & Markets

Bac Giang

$196 25.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 5.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Bac Giang

$106 13.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 15% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bac Giang

$99 12.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 20.1% $20

Eating Out

Bac Giang

$59 7.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 8.4% $4.9

Sport & Entertainment

Bac Giang

$30 3.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 7.2% $2.2

Getting Around

Bac Giang

$12 1.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 44.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $146 in Bac Giang 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 138% 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: $16.00 in Bac Giang vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $196 vs $207 per month, with Bac Giang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Bac Giang

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:32 4:32 PM

Same time as Bac Giang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,171

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Bac Giang Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bac Giang
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

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

Bac Giang is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 10% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 138% 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: $146 in Bac Giang versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bac Giang – a meal for two runs $16.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $778 in Bac Giang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bac Giang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Bac Giang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Bac Giang 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.

Safety-wise, Bac Giang 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 Bac Giang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.