Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bozhou: $678 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Bozhou
🇨🇳 China
$678
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $678 in Bozhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bozhou $678
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,083 in Bozhou versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bozhou $1,083
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,487 in Bozhou versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

  • Bozhou $1,487
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Bozhou costs roughly 21% 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: Bozhou 50% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.51 ¥10.12
$1.91 ₫49.6K
-20.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.71 ¥152
$22.84 ₫591.2K
-0.57%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.37 ¥29.23
$4.54 ₫117.6K
-3.74%
Cappuccino
$2.68 ¥17.89
$1.85 ₫48.0K
44.86%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.39 ¥2.60
$0.56 ₫14.6K
-30.36%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.79
$0.32 ₫8,185
-15.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.02 ¥6.85
$1.06 ₫27.5K
-3.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 ¥12.31
$1.72 ₫44.5K
6.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.23 ¥8.20
$1.66 ₫42.9K
-25.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.06 ¥13.78
$1.11 ₫28.7K
85.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.44 ¥2.93
$1.00 ₫25.9K
-56.00%
Eggs
$0.92 ¥6.16
$1.67 ₫43.1K
-44.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.11 ¥94.3
$12.08 ₫312.8K
16.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.18 ¥14.60
$3.68 ₫95.2K
-40.76%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.63 ¥71.1
$10.24 ₫265.1K
3.81%
Apples (1kg)
$1.21 ¥8.12
$2.96 ₫76.5K
-59.12%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 ¥7.09
$1.24 ₫32.2K
-14.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.74 ¥4.95
$1.56 ₫40.3K
-52.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.73 ¥4.87
$1.30 ₫33.6K
-43.85%
Potato (1kg)
$0.46 ¥3.09
$1.23 ₫31.9K
-62.60%
Onion (1kg)
$0.59 ¥3.94
$1.15 ₫29.8K
-48.70%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 ¥3.87
$0.74 ₫19.1K
-21.62%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 ¥4.16
$0.56 ₫14.4K
10.71%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.04 ¥20.30
$1.24 ₫32.1K
145.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.81 ¥79.0
$12.60 ₫326.1K
-6.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 ¥6.28
$0.96 ₫24.9K
-2.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.21 ¥8.11
$1.53 ₫39.6K
-20.92%
🚌 Getting Around
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.26 ₫6,694
19.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$17.25 ¥115
$11.51 ₫297.9K
49.87%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.04 ¥6.93
$0.75 ₫19.5K
38.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.33 ¥2.19
$0.67 ₫17.4K
-50.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.52 ¥23.53
$3.03 ₫78.5K
16.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.10 ¥7.35
$0.96 ₫24.8K
14.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.6K ¥131.2K
$31.1K ₫804.3M
-36.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K ¥111.5K
$30.4K ₫785.9M
-45.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$48.90 ¥327
$102 ₫2.6M
-52.05%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$4.26 ¥28.47
$5.89 ₫152.5K
-27.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.26 ¥48.54
$10.49 ₫271.6K
-30.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$39.29 ¥263
$25.54 ₫661.2K
53.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.76 ¥98.7
$11.92 ₫308.5K
23.83%
Cinema Ticket
$3.70 ¥24.72
$3.53 ₫91.3K
4.82%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$244 ¥1,631
$436 ₫11.3M
-44.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,547 ¥57.1K
$23.3K ₫602.8M
-63.29%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.42 ¥304
$52.8 ₫1.4M
-13.90%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.95 ¥220
$34.15 ₫884.1K
-3.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.5 ¥431
$90.3 ₫2.3M
-28.53%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$74.9 ¥501
$95.0 ₫2.5M
-21.14%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$309 ¥2,064
$589 ₫15.3M
-47.64%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$197 ¥1,320
$298 ₫7.7M
-33.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$551 ¥3,681
$1,292 ₫33.5M
-57.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$387 ¥2,590
$711 ₫18.4M
-45.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,746 ¥25.0K
$4,676 ₫121.1M
-19.89%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,918 ¥12.8K
$1,904 ₫49.3M
0.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bozhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$748 ¥4,999
$490 ₫12.7M
52.72%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.15
8.64
-63.54%

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

Last update for Bozhou: October 13, 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
Bozhou
$197
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$298 50.8% $100
Groceries & Markets
Bozhou
$186
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$207 11.7% $22
Clothing & Footwear
Bozhou
$98
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$122 25% $24
Eating Out
Bozhou
$69
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63 7.7% $5.3
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bozhou
$60
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118 95.9% $58
Sport & Entertainment
Bozhou
$47
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$33 30.2% $14
Getting Around
Bozhou
$21
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17 21.4% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $309 in Bozhou and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bozhou pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Bozhou vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $207 per month, with Bozhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Bozhou
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🕒 Local time
17:15 5:15 PM
16:15 4:15 PM
1 h behind Bozhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,537,231
9,456,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 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
  • Bozhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bozhou
  • 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
Bozhou vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper than Bozhou?
Bozhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 27% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Bozhou or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Average pay runs 53% higher in Bozhou, 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 Bozhou and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Rent for a central apartment: $309 in Bozhou 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 Bozhou or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Dining out is cheaper in Bozhou – a meal for two runs $23.00 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 Bozhou and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
All in, you'll spend $678 per month in Bozhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Bozhou or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
At $678 in Bozhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bozhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Bozhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Bozhou or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) more family-friendly?
For families, Bozhou 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, Bozhou or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Safety-wise, Bozhou 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 Bozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% 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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