Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou 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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Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $642 in Chaozhou versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chaozhou $642
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,047 in Chaozhou versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chaozhou $1,047
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,451 in Chaozhou versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Chaozhou $1,451
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Chaozhou costs roughly 26% 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: Chaozhou 53% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ¥15.10

$1.98 ₫51.3K

14.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.63 ¥158

$23.14 ₫599.0K

2.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-25.63%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ¥10.18

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-18.28%

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

$0.49 ¥3.29

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-3.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.32 ₫8,191

-9.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$1.03 ₫26.7K

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ¥19.20

$1.71 ₫44.4K

67.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-3.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ¥9.88

$1.09 ₫28.3K

35.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-30.48%

Eggs

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-29.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-22.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.85

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-29.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.1

$10.56 ₫273.3K

13.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 ¥14.74

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-25.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-25.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.16

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-43.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 ¥11.77

$1.31 ₫33.8K

34.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.62 ¥4.15

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-47.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 ¥3.15

$1.14 ₫29.6K

-58.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-41.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-44.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.76

$1.28 ₫33.0K

130.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.8

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-11.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-25.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 ¥7.84

$1.48 ₫38.3K

-20.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.26 ₫6,704

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.02 ¥121

$11.43 ₫296.0K

57.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 ¥6.71

$0.68 ₫17.7K

47.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-53.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.03 ¥47.02

$3.00 ₫77.7K

134.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$0.91 ₫23.5K

36.26%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-36.59%

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

$17.7K ¥118.1K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-39.84%

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

$43.79 ¥293

$104 ₫2.7M

-57.80%

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

$4.32 ¥28.86

$5.79 ₫149.9K

-25.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.32 ¥75.7

$10.48 ₫271.3K

8.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.24 ¥276

$26.08 ₫675.1K

58.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.04 ¥101

$11.90 ₫308.1K

26.39%

Cinema Ticket

$6.36 ¥42.53

$3.89 ₫100.7K

63.50%

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

$483 ¥3,231

$440 ₫11.4M

9.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.7K ¥165.0K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

2.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.41 ¥89.7

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-73.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.46 ¥190

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-19.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.1 ¥589

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-4.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 ¥401

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-37.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$300 ¥2,003

$582 ₫15.1M

-48.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,200

$297 ₫7.7M

-39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 ¥4,169

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-51.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 ¥2,513

$727 ₫18.8M

-48.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,524 ¥23.6K

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-26.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,951 ¥13.0K

$1,853 ₫48.0M

5.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ¥3,279

$490 ₫12.7M

0.09%

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 Chaozhou: October 18, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chaozhou

$180 28.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 15.2% $27

Accommodation & Living

Chaozhou

$179 28%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 65.3% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Chaozhou

$85 13.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 44.6% $38

Eating Out

Chaozhou

$62 9.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 4.3% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaozhou

$59 9.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 102% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Chaozhou

$54 8.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 37.2% $20

Getting Around

Chaozhou

$22 3.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 24.8% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $300 in Chaozhou and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaozhou pays 0% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Chaozhou vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries flip the comparison at $180 vs $208, with Chaozhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

10:08 10:08 AM

1 h behind Chaozhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,568,387

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 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 23, 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 23, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chaozhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaozhou
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

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

Chaozhou and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($642 vs $862 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 0% higher in Chaozhou, 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: $300 in Chaozhou versus $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $483 in Chaozhou versus $440 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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, Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.