Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Dalian and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $895 and $855 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Dalian
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Dalian 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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Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $895 in Dalian versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dalian $895
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,433 in Dalian versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dalian $1,433
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,970 in Dalian versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Dalian $1,970
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Dalian is roughly 5% more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Dalian 33% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.63 ¥24.25

$1.90 ₫49.1K

91.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.88 ¥166

$23.32 ₫603.5K

6.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥34.24

$4.67 ₫120.9K

9.64%

Cappuccino

$3.30 ¥22.04

$1.85 ₫47.9K

78.38%

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

$0.49 ¥3.30

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.67

$0.34 ₫8,857

-26.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.92 ¥6.17

$1.01 ₫26.2K

-8.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.69 ₫43.7K

-9.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$1.58 ₫40.8K

0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.52

$1.04 ₫27.0K

36.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.80

$0.99 ₫25.7K

3.03%

Eggs

$1.59 ¥10.61

$1.60 ₫41.5K

-0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.36 ¥136

$12.23 ₫316.6K

66.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ¥23.10

$3.54 ₫91.7K

-2.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.05 ¥87.2

$10.44 ₫270.2K

25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-57.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.13 ¥7.52

$1.26 ₫32.5K

-10.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 ¥12.90

$1.57 ₫40.6K

22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.96

$1.26 ₫32.5K

-29.37%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.50

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-29.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$1.15 ₫29.7K

-38.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 ¥9.00

$0.72 ₫18.7K

87.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.54 ₫14.0K

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 ¥25.08

$1.22 ₫31.5K

207.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.55 ¥97.2

$12.28 ₫317.8K

18.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 ¥7.32

$0.98 ₫25.4K

12.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 ¥12.92

$1.49 ₫38.5K

29.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.28 ₫7,249

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.05 ¥201

$11.62 ₫300.8K

158.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$0.73 ₫18.9K

109.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-32.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.98 ¥26.60

$3.17 ₫82.0K

25.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.43

$0.95 ₫24.6K

32.63%

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

$19.6K ¥130.8K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-36.35%

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

$17.5K ¥117.0K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-42.77%

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

$63.8 ¥426

$102 ₫2.6M

-37.68%

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

$9.13 ¥61.0

$5.65 ₫146.1K

61.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.34 ¥89.1

$10.52 ₫272.2K

26.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.35 ¥270

$25.86 ₫669.2K

56.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.04 ¥241

$11.82 ₫305.9K

204.91%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 ¥45.75

$3.39 ₫87.8K

102.06%

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

$393 ¥2,627

$438 ₫11.3M

-10.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.6K ¥137.9K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

-11.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.4 ¥504

$51.5 ₫1.3M

46.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.9 ¥367

$34.56 ₫894.3K

58.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$114 ¥762

$91.3 ₫2.4M

24.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ¥784

$94.9 ₫2.5M

23.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 ¥2,684

$577 ₫14.9M

-30.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 ¥1,628

$292 ₫7.6M

-16.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$702 ¥4,688

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-45.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$445 ¥2,971

$717 ₫18.6M

-37.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,684 ¥17.9K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

-43.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,585 ¥10.6K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

-15.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,090 ¥7,287

$486 ₫12.6M

124.47%

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 Dalian: 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

Dalian

$244 26.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 19.9% $48

Groceries & Markets

Dalian

$239 26.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 13.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Dalian

$163 17.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 24.7% $40

Eating Out

Dalian

$95 10.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 32.9% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dalian

$86 9.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 37.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Dalian

$54 5.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 39.6% $21

Getting Around

Dalian

$35 3.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 52.3% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $402 in Dalian and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 124% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $25.00 in Dalian vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $239 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Dalian

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

14:52 2:52 PM

1 h behind Dalian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

7,450,785

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 = 3.45 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dalian Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dalian
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

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

Dalian and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($895 vs $855 including rent). Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 124% higher in Dalian, 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: $402 in Dalian versus $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $393 in Dalian versus $438 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 16% higher in Dalian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $895 in Dalian, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Dalian. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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, Dalian 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Dalian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.