Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chifeng: $715 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Chifeng
Learn more

Chifeng Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Learn more

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

Jump to prices

Chifeng

🇨🇳 China

$715

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $715 per month in Chifeng vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chifeng $715
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,128 per month in Chifeng vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chifeng $1,128
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $1,541 per month in Chifeng vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Chifeng $1,541
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Chifeng is about 17% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chifeng and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Chifeng 47% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.71 ¥18.15

$1.91 ₫49.6K

41.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.54 ¥144

$22.88 ₫592.3K

-5.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ¥31.82

$4.54 ₫117.6K

4.85%

Cappuccino

$3.09 ¥20.64

$1.86 ₫48.3K

66.13%

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

$0.47 ¥3.15

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-14.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.32 ₫8,185

-15.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.87

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 ¥13.69

$1.73 ₫44.8K

18.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.87 ¥12.48

$1.66 ₫42.9K

12.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.11 ₫28.7K

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-8.00%

Eggs

$1.54 ¥10.33

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-7.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 ¥84.7

$12.10 ₫313.3K

4.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.21 ¥21.50

$3.69 ₫95.5K

-13.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.35 ¥69.2

$10.26 ₫265.6K

0.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.20

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-38.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 ¥8.02

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.20

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-1.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 ¥7.33

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.88

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-40.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 ¥6.11

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-20.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.97

$0.75 ₫19.3K

-21.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.57 ₫14.7K

-8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.19 ¥21.35

$1.25 ₫32.4K

155.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.65 ¥71.2

$12.70 ₫328.7K

-16.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.93

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-22.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.53 ₫39.6K

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.95

$0.26 ₫6,694

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.64 ¥111

$11.52 ₫298.2K

44.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.43 ¥9.54

$0.75 ₫19.5K

90.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-50.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.81 ¥45.56

$3.04 ₫78.8K

124.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 ¥7.77

$0.96 ₫24.8K

20.83%

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

$19.3K ¥129.0K

$31.1K ₫805.6M

-37.98%

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

$17.4K ¥116.3K

$28.8K ₫744.3M

-39.50%

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

$45.71 ¥306

$102 ₫2.6M

-55.25%

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

$9.66 ¥64.6

$5.90 ₫152.8K

63.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.82 ¥79.1

$10.51 ₫272.2K

12.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.23 ¥282

$25.58 ₫662.2K

65.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.09 ¥94.2

$11.94 ₫309.0K

18.01%

Cinema Ticket

$5.84 ¥39.02

$3.92 ₫101.6K

48.98%

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

$334 ¥2,234

$437 ₫11.3M

-23.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ¥112.5K

$23.3K ₫603.7M

-27.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.39 ¥290

$52.9 ₫1.4M

-17.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 ¥201

$34.24 ₫886.4K

-12.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$90.4 ₫2.3M

-21.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 ¥474

$95.1 ₫2.5M

-25.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$275 ¥1,838

$590 ₫15.3M

-53.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$193 ¥1,293

$298 ₫7.7M

-35.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 ¥4,005

$1,294 ₫33.5M

-53.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 ¥2,362

$712 ₫18.4M

-50.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,029 ¥20.3K

$4,684 ₫121.3M

-35.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,994 ¥13.3K

$1,907 ₫49.4M

4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.64

-54.98%

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

Last update for Chifeng: October 12, 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.

Groceries & Markets

Chifeng

$198 27.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 4.7% $9.3

Accommodation & Living

Chifeng

$193 27.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 54% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Chifeng

$97 13.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 26.3% $25

Eating Out

Chifeng

$84 11.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 24.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chifeng

$67 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 76.2% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chifeng

$54 7.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 39.5% $21

Getting Around

Chifeng

$21 2.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 20.2% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $275 in Chifeng versus $589 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 $22.00 in Chifeng versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $207 – making Chifeng the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chifeng

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:35 5:35 PM

16:35 4:35 PM

1 h behind Chifeng

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,175,391

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 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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chifeng Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Chifeng
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

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

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,072 per month in Chifeng and $1,288 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 Chifeng, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chifeng and $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $715 in Chifeng and $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 20%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Chifeng, where all-in costs run around $715, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Chifeng it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chifeng. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.