Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Baoji: $756 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

36

Cost of Living Index in Baoji
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Baoji Living Index
42

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

Jump to prices

Baoji

🇨🇳 China

$756

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $756 in Baoji versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Baoji $756
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,139 in Baoji versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Baoji $1,139
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,521 in Baoji versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Baoji $1,521
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Baoji costs roughly 12% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baoji 44% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 ¥18.33

$1.91 ₫49.6K

43.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.92 ¥79.7

$22.84 ₫591.4K

-47.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.46 ¥29.83

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-1.76%

Cappuccino

$2.17 ¥14.54

$1.85 ₫48.0K

17.30%

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

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-48.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.32 ₫8,187

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.45 ¥9.72

$1.06 ₫27.5K

36.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 ¥9.80

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-15.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-10.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.11 ₫28.7K

57.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.08

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-9.00%

Eggs

$0.86 ¥5.74

$1.67 ₫43.2K

-48.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.71 ¥78.3

$12.08 ₫312.9K

-3.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 ¥26.51

$3.68 ₫95.2K

7.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.7

$10.24 ₫265.2K

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 ¥11.17

$2.96 ₫76.6K

-43.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.44

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-10.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ¥8.28

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-20.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.52

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-2.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.63 ¥4.23

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-48.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-39.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.17

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-16.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 ¥23.00

$1.24 ₫32.2K

177.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.75 ¥65.2

$12.60 ₫326.2K

-22.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥5.10

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-20.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 ¥11.73

$1.53 ₫39.6K

14.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.26 ₫6,696

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.56 ¥111

$11.51 ₫298.0K

43.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 ¥8.62

$0.75 ₫19.5K

72.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-56.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.19

$3.03 ₫78.5K

49.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ¥9.16

$0.96 ₫24.8K

42.71%

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

$19.3K ¥129.4K

$31.1K ₫804.4M

-37.72%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$30.4K ₫786.1M

-42.34%

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

$90.2 ¥603

$102 ₫2.6M

-11.55%

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

$6.31 ¥42.18

$5.89 ₫152.6K

7.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.84 ¥72.5

$10.49 ₫271.7K

3.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.46 ¥311

$25.54 ₫661.3K

81.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.18 ¥88.1

$11.92 ₫308.6K

10.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.81 ¥38.82

$3.53 ₫91.4K

64.59%

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

$701 ¥4,686

$436 ₫11.3M

60.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K ¥117.2K

$23.3K ₫602.9M

-24.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.43 ¥264

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-25.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.67 ¥252

$34.15 ₫884.3K

10.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 ¥496

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-17.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 ¥612

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-3.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 ¥1,858

$589 ₫15.3M

-52.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,311

$298 ₫7.7M

-34.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 ¥4,209

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-51.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$350 ¥2,337

$711 ₫18.4M

-50.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,178 ¥21.3K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-32.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,815 ¥12.1K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-4.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

8.64

-61.23%

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

Last update for Baoji: 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

Baoji

$196 25.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 51.9% $102

Groceries & Markets

Baoji

$192 25.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 8.2% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Baoji

$109 14.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 12.1% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baoji

$107 14.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 10.3% $11

Eating Out

Baoji

$74 9.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 14% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Baoji

$58 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 43.9% $25

Getting Around

Baoji

$20 2.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 18.6% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Baoji and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12.00 in Baoji vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $207 per month, with Baoji cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Baoji

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

13:16 1:16 PM

12:16 12:16 PM

1 h behind Baoji

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,438,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,990 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Baoji Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,620 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Baoji
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

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

Baoji is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $1,135 in Baoji and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Baoji versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baoji runs roughly 44% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $701 in Baoji versus $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $756 in Baoji versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baoji but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Baoji the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baoji 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, Baoji 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 Baoji gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.