Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chenzhou: $721 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Chenzhou
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Chenzhou Living Index
41

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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Chenzhou

🇨🇳 China

$721

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Chenzhou vs $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chenzhou $721
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

A couple spends around $1,197 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chenzhou $1,197
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

A family of three spends $1,674 per month in Chenzhou vs $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chenzhou $1,674
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Chenzhou is about 15% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Both Chenzhou and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Chenzhou 47% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.03 ¥20.15

$1.91 ₫49.3K

58.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.13 ¥147

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-3.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.86 ¥32.33

$4.69 ₫121.2K

3.62%

Cappuccino

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.80 ₫46.5K

-14.44%

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

$0.51 ¥3.41

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-7.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.34 ₫8,812

-20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 ¥8.58

$1.03 ₫26.7K

25.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ¥12.59

$1.72 ₫44.4K

9.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 ¥13.09

$1.67 ₫43.1K

17.96%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 ¥15.83

$1.09 ₫28.2K

118.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 ¥5.23

$1.06 ₫27.3K

-25.47%

Eggs

$1.72 ¥11.46

$1.60 ₫41.3K

7.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.15 ¥87.5

$12.08 ₫312.1K

8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ¥27.47

$3.66 ₫94.5K

12.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.0

$10.35 ₫267.3K

11.79%

Apples (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-80.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.82

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-6.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.87

$1.62 ₫41.9K

-54.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.89

$1.27 ₫32.7K

-6.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.49

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-17.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.54 ¥10.24

$1.19 ₫30.7K

29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.04

$0.78 ₫20.1K

-21.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.23

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 ¥20.08

$1.26 ₫32.5K

139.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ¥84.6

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-1.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.04 ¥6.91

$0.90 ₫23.1K

15.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ¥10.45

$1.46 ₫37.6K

7.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.28 ₫7,260

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.40 ¥103

$11.42 ₫295.0K

34.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.09

$0.70 ₫18.2K

117.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-53.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.60 ¥30.59

$3.09 ₫79.8K

48.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.59

$0.95 ₫24.6K

35.79%

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

$19.3K ¥128.3K

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-36.80%

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

$17.4K ¥115.6K

$29.7K ₫767.8M

-41.54%

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

$56.3 ¥375

$102 ₫2.6M

-44.90%

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

$8.94 ¥59.5

$5.65 ₫145.8K

58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.27 ¥75.0

$10.43 ₫269.5K

8.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.59 ¥283

$19.30 ₫498.7K

120.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.67 ¥97.6

$11.81 ₫305.1K

24.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.48 ¥43.13

$3.83 ₫98.9K

69.19%

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

$329 ¥2,188

$484 ₫12.5M

-32.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K ¥112.3K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-27.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 ¥561

$52.3 ₫1.4M

61.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.01 ¥233

$34.35 ₫887.3K

1.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 ¥593

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-3.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.9 ¥392

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-37.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 ¥2,061

$647 ₫16.7M

-52.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$163 ¥1,086

$297 ₫7.7M

-45.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$584 ¥3,885

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-54.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$414 ¥2,753

$719 ₫18.6M

-42.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,531 ¥23.5K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-18.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ¥12.8K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-3.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

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 Chenzhou: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Chenzhou

$215 29.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 3.3% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Chenzhou

$163 22.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 82.1% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Chenzhou

$120 16.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 2.2% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chenzhou

$77 10.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 54.6% $42

Eating Out

Chenzhou

$71 9.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 10.6% $7.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chenzhou

$56 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 51.5% $29

Getting Around

Chenzhou

$20 2.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 16.3% $3.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Chenzhou versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chenzhou versus $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries tell a different story – $215 in Chenzhou vs $208 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – so Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chenzhou

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

01:12 1:12 AM

00:12 12:12 AM

1 h behind Chenzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,667,134

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 = 28,750 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chenzhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chenzhou
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

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 18% more than Chenzhou, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,081 per month in Chenzhou and $1,279 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chenzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Public transport costs about 26% less in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $329 per month in Chenzhou and $484 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $721 in Chenzhou and $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chenzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.