Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bortala: $758 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

35

Cost of Living Index in Bortala
Learn more

Bortala Living Index
41

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Bortala

🇨🇳 China

$758

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $758 in Bortala versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bortala $758
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,168 in Bortala versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bortala $1,168
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,577 in Bortala versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Bortala $1,577
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Bortala costs roughly 11% 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: Bortala 44% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.99 ¥19.88

$1.91 ₫49.3K

56.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ¥152

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.33

$4.69 ₫121.2K

3.62%

Cappuccino

$2.79 ¥18.54

$1.80 ₫46.5K

55.00%

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

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-12.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.10

$0.34 ₫8,812

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.03 ₫26.7K

7.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 ¥14.35

$1.72 ₫44.4K

25.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.46

$1.67 ₫43.1K

11.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 ¥10.58

$1.09 ₫28.2K

45.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.95 ¥6.30

$1.06 ₫27.3K

-10.38%

Eggs

$1.60 ¥10.68

$1.60 ₫41.3K

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.42 ¥89.3

$12.08 ₫312.1K

11.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 ¥22.38

$3.66 ₫94.5K

-8.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.29 ¥75.1

$10.35 ₫267.3K

9.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.55

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 ¥8.89

$1.26 ₫32.6K

6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ¥10.02

$1.62 ₫41.9K

-6.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.36

$1.27 ₫32.7K

-0.79%

Potato (1kg)

$0.75 ¥4.99

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-36.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.50

$1.19 ₫30.7K

-17.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.95

$0.78 ₫20.1K

-24.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.90

$0.55 ₫14.3K

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 ¥24.71

$1.26 ₫32.5K

194.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.52 ¥76.7

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-10.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.88

$0.90 ₫23.1K

-2.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.31

$1.46 ₫37.6K

6.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ¥1.87

$0.28 ₫7,260

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.99 ¥106

$11.42 ₫295.0K

40.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 ¥10.47

$0.70 ₫18.2K

124.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 ¥2.15

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-49.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.15 ¥47.60

$3.09 ₫79.8K

131.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$0.95 ₫24.6K

23.16%

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

$19.4K ¥129.1K

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-36.41%

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

$15.2K ¥101.0K

$29.7K ₫767.8M

-48.96%

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

$57.1 ¥380

$102 ₫2.6M

-44.12%

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

$8.48 ¥56.5

$5.65 ₫145.8K

50.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.13 ¥74.1

$10.43 ₫269.5K

6.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.95 ¥279

$19.30 ₫498.7K

117.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.98 ¥99.7

$11.81 ₫305.1K

26.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.53 ¥43.43

$3.83 ₫98.9K

70.50%

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

$453 ¥3,016

$484 ₫12.5M

-6.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K ¥128.6K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-17.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.79 ¥285

$52.3 ₫1.4M

-18.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.92 ¥206

$34.35 ₫887.3K

-9.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.6 ¥503

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-18.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.3 ¥455

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-27.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$291 ¥1,934

$647 ₫16.7M

-55.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 ¥1,421

$297 ₫7.7M

-28.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ¥3,874

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-54.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$343 ¥2,283

$719 ₫18.6M

-52.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,687 ¥24.5K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-14.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,825 ¥12.1K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-8.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$625 ¥4,161

$490 ₫12.7M

27.53%

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 Bortala: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Bortala

$214 28.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 39.1% $84

Groceries & Markets

Bortala

$210 27.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Bortala

$98 12.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 25.5% $25

Eating Out

Bortala

$85 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 25.7% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bortala

$77 10.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 54.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Bortala

$55 7.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 51% $28

Getting Around

Bortala

$20 2.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 19.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $291 in Bortala and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bortala pays 28% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Bortala vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $210 vs $208, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Bortala

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

01:38 1:38 AM

00:38 12:38 AM

1 h behind Bortala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,706

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bortala Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 4,460 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bortala
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

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

Bortala wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bortala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 28% higher in Bortala, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $291 in Bortala versus $647 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 $758 per month in Bortala versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 29% less than in Bortala. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.