Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chuzhou: $685 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chuzhou, China
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
Chuzhou
🇨🇳 China
$685
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$853
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $685 per month in Chuzhou vs $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Chuzhou $685
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

A couple spends around $1,120 per month in Chuzhou vs $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Chuzhou $1,120
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

A family of three spends $1,555 per month in Chuzhou vs $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Chuzhou $1,555
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Chuzhou is about 20% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chuzhou and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Chuzhou 50% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.28 ¥15.15
$1.91 ₫49.3K
19.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.28 ¥148
$22.93 ₫592.4K
-2.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 ¥31.65
$4.69 ₫121.2K
1.49%
Cappuccino
$2.30 ¥15.31
$1.80 ₫46.5K
27.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.53 ¥3.54
$0.55 ₫14.3K
-3.64%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 ¥1.80
$0.34 ₫8,812
-20.59%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.44 ¥2.90
$1.03 ₫26.7K
-57.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 ¥10.23
$1.72 ₫44.4K
-10.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.54 ¥10.28
$1.67 ₫43.1K
-7.78%
White Bread (500g)
$2.07 ¥13.75
$1.09 ₫28.2K
89.91%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.84 ¥5.57
$1.06 ₫27.3K
-20.75%
Eggs
$1.32 ¥8.80
$1.60 ₫41.3K
-17.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.57 ¥70.3
$12.08 ₫312.1K
-12.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.03 ¥20.15
$3.66 ₫94.5K
-17.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.07 ¥60.4
$10.35 ₫267.3K
-12.37%
Apples (1kg)
$2.09 ¥13.88
$3.01 ₫77.7K
-30.56%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ¥8.36
$1.26 ₫32.6K
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ¥11.39
$1.62 ₫41.9K
5.56%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.07 ¥7.15
$1.27 ₫32.7K
-15.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.90 ¥5.96
$1.18 ₫30.5K
-23.73%
Onion (1kg)
$0.97 ¥6.47
$1.19 ₫30.7K
-18.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.89 ¥5.92
$0.78 ₫20.1K
14.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 ¥3.46
$0.55 ₫14.3K
-5.45%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.83 ¥25.51
$1.26 ₫32.5K
203.97%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.28 ¥88.4
$12.85 ₫331.9K
3.35%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.95 ¥6.31
$0.90 ₫23.1K
5.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.55 ¥10.34
$1.46 ₫37.6K
6.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 ¥2.08
$0.28 ₫7,260
10.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.20 ¥128
$11.42 ₫295.0K
68.13%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 ¥11.66
$0.70 ₫18.2K
150.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.41 ¥2.75
$0.63 ₫16.3K
-34.92%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.09 ¥60.5
$3.09 ₫79.8K
194.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.32 ¥8.77
$0.95 ₫24.6K
38.95%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.3K ¥128.5K
$30.5K ₫788.3M
-36.71%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$17.4K ¥115.5K
$29.7K ₫767.8M
-41.62%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$55.5 ¥369
$102 ₫2.6M
-45.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.88 ¥52.4
$5.65 ₫145.8K
39.47%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$7.28 ¥48.43
$10.43 ₫269.5K
-30.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$43.09 ¥287
$19.30 ₫498.7K
123.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$16.05 ¥107
$11.81 ₫305.1K
35.90%
Cinema Ticket
$6.07 ¥40.41
$3.83 ₫98.9K
58.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$441 ¥2,932
$484 ₫12.5M
-9.02%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.8K ¥151.9K
$23.3K ₫602.3M
-2.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$43.42 ¥289
$52.3 ₫1.4M
-16.92%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.55 ¥230
$34.35 ₫887.3K
0.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.8 ¥431
$92.3 ₫2.4M
-29.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$87.6 ¥583
$94.2 ₫2.4M
-7.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$253 ¥1,683
$647 ₫16.7M
-60.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$165 ¥1,095
$297 ₫7.7M
-44.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$606 ¥4,032
$1,291 ₫33.3M
-53.05%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$376 ¥2,503
$719 ₫18.6M
-47.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,018 ¥20.1K
$4,327 ₫111.8M
-30.25%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,996 ¥13.3K
$1,987 ₫51.3M
0.44%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chuzhou
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$490 ₫12.7M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.42
8.64
-60.42%

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

Last update for Chuzhou: October 24, 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
Chuzhou
$198
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$208 5.1% $10
Accommodation & Living
Chuzhou
$165
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$297 80.6% $133
Clothing & Footwear
Chuzhou
$104
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$123 18.5% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chuzhou
$71
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$118 67.4% $48
Eating Out
Chuzhou
$69
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$63 7.9% $5.4
Sport & Entertainment
Chuzhou
$55
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$27 51.2% $28
Getting Around
Chuzhou
$24
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$16 32.4% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $253 in Chuzhou 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 Chuzhou versus $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $198 vs $208 – making Chuzhou the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇳 Chuzhou
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🕒 Local time
06:03 6:03 AM
05:03 5:03 AM
1 h behind Chuzhou
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,987,054
9,456,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

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 = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chuzhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Chuzhou
  • 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
Chuzhou vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chuzhou or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 25% more than Chuzhou, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chuzhou and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,027 per month in Chuzhou 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.
Where is rent cheaper, Chuzhou or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chuzhou, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $253 there versus $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
How do dining costs compare in Chuzhou and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $22 in Chuzhou and $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Chuzhou compared to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $685 in Chuzhou and $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That makes Chuzhou about 20% cheaper.
Can you live on $800/month in Chuzhou or in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Chuzhou, where all-in costs run around $685, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $853. In Chuzhou it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Chuzhou – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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