Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $784 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Changsha
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Changsha 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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Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $784 in Changsha versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changsha $784
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,263 in Changsha versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changsha $1,263
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,742 in Changsha versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changsha $1,742
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Changsha costs roughly 8% 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: Changsha 42% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.80

$1.90 ₫49.1K

55.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.08 ¥148

$23.32 ₫603.5K

-5.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.99 ¥33.35

$4.67 ₫120.9K

6.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 ¥22.94

$1.85 ₫47.9K

85.41%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.66

$0.34 ₫8,857

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.01 ₫26.2K

23.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 ¥13.15

$1.69 ₫43.7K

16.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 ¥13.09

$1.58 ₫40.8K

24.05%

White Bread (500g)

$2.36 ¥15.76

$1.04 ₫27.0K

126.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-5.05%

Eggs

$1.73 ¥11.56

$1.60 ₫41.5K

8.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.84 ¥85.8

$12.23 ₫316.6K

4.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ¥26.13

$3.54 ₫91.7K

10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.63 ¥77.7

$10.44 ₫270.2K

11.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ¥19.52

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-5.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.60

$1.26 ₫32.5K

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.57 ₫40.6K

21.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 ¥12.96

$1.26 ₫32.5K

53.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 ¥6.76

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.51

$1.15 ₫29.7K

36.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 ¥4.33

$0.72 ₫18.7K

-9.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 ¥3.18

$0.54 ₫14.0K

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.03 ¥20.22

$1.22 ₫31.5K

148.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.43 ¥83.0

$12.28 ₫317.8K

1.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 ¥7.16

$0.98 ₫25.4K

9.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 ¥10.29

$1.49 ₫38.5K

3.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.38

$0.28 ₫7,249

28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.5

$11.62 ₫300.8K

28.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.73 ₫18.9K

101.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 ¥30.22

$3.17 ₫82.0K

42.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.60

$0.95 ₫24.6K

35.79%

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

$19.5K ¥130.2K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-36.64%

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

$17.4K ¥116.2K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-43.15%

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

$56.9 ¥380

$102 ₫2.6M

-44.43%

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

$8.83 ¥59.0

$5.65 ₫146.1K

56.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.56 ¥90.6

$10.52 ₫272.2K

28.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 ¥367

$25.86 ₫669.2K

112.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.39 ¥163

$11.82 ₫305.9K

106.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.44 ¥43.01

$3.39 ₫87.8K

89.97%

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

$325 ¥2,169

$438 ₫11.3M

-25.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.2K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-27.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.8 ¥546

$51.5 ₫1.3M

58.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 ¥229

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-0.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.2 ¥583

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-4.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.0 ¥395

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-37.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 ¥1,770

$577 ₫14.9M

-54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 ¥1,122

$292 ₫7.6M

-42.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ¥3,804

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-55.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 ¥2,561

$717 ₫18.6M

-46.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 ¥16.6K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-47.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,393 ¥9,308

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-26.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,097 ¥7,331

$486 ₫12.6M

125.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.64

-59.95%

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

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Changsha

$235 30.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 12.6% $30

Accommodation & Living

Changsha

$168 21.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 74% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Changsha

$118 15.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 3.8% $4.5

Eating Out

Changsha

$93 11.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 31.7% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changsha

$79 10.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 49.5% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Changsha

$68 8.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 51.9% $35

Getting Around

Changsha

$19 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 13.1% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $265 in Changsha and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 126% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Changsha vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $235 vs $206, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changsha

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h behind Changsha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,289,000

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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Changsha Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Changsha
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

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

Changsha and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($784 vs $855 including rent). Changsha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 126% higher in Changsha, 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: $265 in Changsha versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Changsha – a meal for two runs $22.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $784 per month in Changsha versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $784 in Changsha versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changsha but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Changsha the clear choice for anyone on this 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.

Safety-wise, Changsha 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 Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.