Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou 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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Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $741 in Changzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changzhou $741
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,217 in Changzhou versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changzhou $1,217
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,694 in Changzhou versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Changzhou $1,694
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Changzhou costs roughly 14% 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: Changzhou 45% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.92 ¥19.51

$1.91 ₫49.6K

52.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.54 ¥191

$22.84 ₫591.4K

24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ¥30.16

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-0.66%

Cappuccino

$2.22 ¥14.82

$1.85 ₫48.0K

20.00%

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

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-32.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.32 ₫8,187

-28.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-41.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.69

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-15.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.47

$1.66 ₫42.9K

12.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 ¥8.59

$1.11 ₫28.7K

15.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ¥6.66

$1.00 ₫25.9K

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.54

$1.67 ₫43.2K

2.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 ¥49.55

$12.08 ₫312.9K

-38.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.82 ¥18.86

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-23.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.35 ¥82.6

$10.24 ₫265.2K

20.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.16 ¥14.44

$2.96 ₫76.6K

-27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.58

$1.24 ₫32.2K

39.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.14

$1.56 ₫40.3K

26.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.97

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.13

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-37.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.63

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-13.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 ¥2.60

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-47.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.18

$0.56 ₫14.4K

10.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.29 ¥22.03

$1.24 ₫32.2K

165.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.58 ¥70.8

$12.60 ₫326.2K

-16.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-14.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ¥10.45

$1.53 ₫39.6K

1.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.26 ₫6,696

26.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.32 ¥95.8

$11.51 ₫298.0K

24.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ¥10.09

$0.75 ₫19.5K

101.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 ¥19.57

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-3.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$0.96 ₫24.8K

36.46%

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

$17.1K ¥114.1K

$31.1K ₫804.4M

-45.06%

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

$13.8K ¥92.3K

$30.4K ₫786.1M

-54.52%

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

$57.5 ¥385

$102 ₫2.6M

-43.61%

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

$8.13 ¥54.3

$5.89 ₫152.6K

38.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.66 ¥71.3

$10.49 ₫271.7K

1.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.60 ¥272

$25.54 ₫661.3K

58.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.75 ¥98.7

$11.92 ₫308.6K

23.74%

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 ¥30.53

$3.53 ₫91.4K

29.46%

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

$251 ¥1,681

$436 ₫11.3M

-42.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K ¥101.1K

$23.3K ₫602.9M

-35.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 ¥370

$52.8 ₫1.4M

4.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.58 ¥151

$34.15 ₫884.3K

-33.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.0 ¥508

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.2 ¥510

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 ¥1,908

$589 ₫15.3M

-51.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$229 ¥1,529

$298 ₫7.7M

-23.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 ¥6,133

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-29.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 ¥3,312

$711 ₫18.4M

-30.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,942 ¥19.7K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-37.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,613 ¥10.8K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-15.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,067 ¥7,132

$490 ₫12.7M

117.84%

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 Changzhou: October 11, 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

Changzhou

$229 30.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 30.3% $69

Groceries & Markets

Changzhou

$192 25.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 8.1% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Changzhou

$104 14%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 18.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Changzhou

$76 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 55.1% $42

Eating Out

Changzhou

$72 9.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 11.7% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Changzhou

$50 6.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 34.4% $17

Getting Around

Changzhou

$19 2.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 11% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $285 in Changzhou and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changzhou pays 118% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $29.00 in Changzhou vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $207, with Changzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

15:12 3:12 PM

1 h behind Changzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,278,121

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

Changzhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Changzhou
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

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

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 118% higher in Changzhou, 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: $285 in Changzhou versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changzhou 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, Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.