Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $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.

39

Cost of Living Index in China
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China 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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🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: China is 8.9% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) without rent, and 8.4% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: China is 7.5% more expensive than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) without rent, and 9.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.90 ¥19.39

$1.90 ₫49.1K

52.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.02 ¥147

$23.32 ₫603.5K

-5.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ¥34.74

$4.67 ₫120.9K

11.35%

Cappuccino

$3.04 ¥20.31

$1.85 ₫47.9K

64.32%

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

$0.52 ¥3.45

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.85

$0.34 ₫8,857

-17.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.01 ₫26.2K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.64

$1.69 ₫43.7K

29.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.71

$1.58 ₫40.8K

10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 ¥10.96

$1.04 ₫27.0K

57.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.12

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-7.07%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.66

$1.60 ₫41.5K

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.99 ¥86.8

$12.23 ₫316.6K

6.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.35 ¥22.38

$3.54 ₫91.7K

-5.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.18 ¥74.7

$10.44 ₫270.2K

7.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.02

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-41.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$1.26 ₫32.5K

3.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-6.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.26 ₫32.5K

4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 ¥5.07

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-35.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.15

$1.15 ₫29.7K

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.72 ₫18.7K

-18.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.54 ₫14.0K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 ¥25.34

$1.22 ₫31.5K

210.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.14 ¥81.1

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-1.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$0.98 ₫25.4K

-16.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.49 ₫38.5K

9.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.93

$0.28 ₫7,249

3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.33 ¥149

$11.62 ₫300.8K

92.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.73 ₫18.9K

109.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.31

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-45.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.00 ¥46.79

$3.17 ₫82.0K

120.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.77

$0.95 ₫24.6K

37.89%

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

$19.0K ¥127.1K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-38.12%

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

$17.0K ¥113.7K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-44.37%

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

$54.1 ¥362

$102 ₫2.6M

-47.09%

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

$8.42 ¥56.3

$5.65 ₫146.1K

49.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.72 ¥71.6

$10.52 ₫272.2K

1.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.72 ¥272

$25.86 ₫669.2K

57.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.58 ¥97.4

$11.82 ₫305.9K

23.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 ¥45.15

$3.39 ₫87.8K

99.41%

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

$462 ¥3,089

$438 ₫11.3M

5.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-15.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.57 ¥305

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-11.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.05 ¥241

$34.56 ₫894.3K

4.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.4 ¥504

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-17.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.0 ¥528

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

$577 ₫14.9M

-33.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ¥1,601

$292 ₫7.6M

-17.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 ¥5,637

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-34.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 ¥3,083

$717 ₫18.6M

-35.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,590 ¥30.7K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-2.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,279 ¥15.2K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

21.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,060 ¥7,082

$486 ₫12.6M

118.14%

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 China: 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.

Accommodation & Living

China

$240 30.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 21.9% $53

Groceries & Markets

China

$207 26.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 0.8% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

China

$106 13.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 15.4% $16

Eating Out

China

$88 11.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 27.8% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

China

$73 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 61.7% $45

Sport & Entertainment

China

$54 6.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 39.8% $22

Getting Around

China

$27 3.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 37.6% $10

Good to know

🇨🇳 China

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

18:54 6:54 PM

17:54 5:54 PM

1 h behind China

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,442,965,000

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 →

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