Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Beihai: $744 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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 Beihai
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Beihai 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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Beihai

🇨🇳 China

$744

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $744 per month in Beihai vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Beihai $744
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,167 per month in Beihai vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Beihai $1,167
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,590 per month in Beihai vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Beihai $1,590
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Beihai is about 13% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Beihai and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Beihai 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.40 ¥22.75

$1.91 ₫49.6K

78.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.56 ¥131

$22.84 ₫591.4K

-14.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.58 ¥37.31

$4.54 ₫117.6K

22.91%

Cappuccino

$2.43 ¥16.28

$1.85 ₫48.0K

31.35%

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

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ¥1.99

$0.32 ₫8,187

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.14

$1.06 ₫27.5K

15.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 ¥15.34

$1.72 ₫44.5K

33.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.69

$1.66 ₫42.9K

14.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 ¥11.36

$1.11 ₫28.7K

53.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.00 ₫25.9K

10.00%

Eggs

$1.87 ¥12.53

$1.67 ₫43.2K

11.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.95 ¥93.3

$12.08 ₫312.9K

15.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.54

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-20.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$10.24 ₫265.2K

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 ¥14.03

$2.96 ₫76.6K

-29.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.91

$1.24 ₫32.2K

19.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-2.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ¥8.48

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-2.31%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.46

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-15.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-9.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.33

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 ¥22.70

$1.24 ₫32.2K

173.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 ¥80.6

$12.60 ₫326.2K

-4.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.95

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.10

$1.53 ₫39.6K

8.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 ¥2.02

$0.26 ₫6,696

15.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.17 ¥115

$11.51 ₫298.0K

49.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 ¥10.42

$0.75 ₫19.5K

108.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.21 ¥41.53

$3.03 ₫78.5K

104.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 ¥9.31

$0.96 ₫24.8K

44.79%

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

$18.2K ¥121.6K

$31.1K ₫804.4M

-41.47%

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

$18.2K ¥121.9K

$30.4K ₫786.1M

-39.93%

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

$61.5 ¥411

$102 ₫2.6M

-39.66%

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

$9.42 ¥63.0

$5.89 ₫152.6K

59.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.09 ¥80.9

$10.49 ₫271.7K

15.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.99 ¥274

$25.54 ₫661.3K

60.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.01 ¥93.7

$11.92 ₫308.6K

17.53%

Cinema Ticket

$5.71 ¥38.20

$3.53 ₫91.4K

61.76%

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

$458 ¥3,065

$436 ₫11.3M

4.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K ¥122.6K

$23.3K ₫602.9M

-21.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.58 ¥325

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-7.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.03 ¥254

$34.15 ₫884.3K

11.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.9 ¥534

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-11.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$279 ¥1,863

$589 ₫15.3M

-52.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 ¥1,190

$298 ₫7.7M

-40.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$718 ¥4,804

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-44.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$332 ¥2,221

$711 ₫18.4M

-53.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,665 ¥24.5K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-21.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,221 ¥14.9K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

16.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.64

-61.11%

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

Last update for Beihai: October 10, 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

Beihai

$212 28.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 2.1% $4.5

Accommodation & Living

Beihai

$178 23.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 67.3% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Beihai

$110 14.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 10.9% $12

Eating Out

Beihai

$87 11.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 26.9% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beihai

$83 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 42.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Beihai

$52 7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 37.8% $20

Getting Around

Beihai

$22 2.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 22.6% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $279 in Beihai versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries tell a different story – $212 in Beihai vs $207 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – so Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Beihai

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

13:36 1:36 PM

1 h behind Beihai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,617,500

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

Beihai Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,220 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Beihai
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 15% more than Beihai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,116 per month in Beihai and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Beihai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 2% cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Beihai and $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Beihai, where all-in costs run around $744, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Beihai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Beihai costs $744 versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Beihai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.