Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Duong: $791 a month against $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $710 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Hai Duong, Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
Hai Duong
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$791
/mo nomad
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$850
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $791 per month in Hai Duong vs $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Hai Duong $791
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $850

A couple spends around $1,252 per month in Hai Duong vs $1,386 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Hai Duong $1,252
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,386

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Hai Duong vs $1,921 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

  • Hai Duong $1,712
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,921

Hai Duong is about 7% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Hai Duong and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Hai Duong 41% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.86 ₫48.0K
$2.13 ₫54.8K
-12.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.69 ₫533.0K
$23.43 ₫603.7K
-11.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.69 ₫120.8K
$4.55 ₫117.1K
3.08%
Cappuccino
$1.46 ₫37.5K
$1.78 ₫45.9K
-17.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.43 ₫11.1K
$0.53 ₫13.6K
-18.87%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ₫7,240
$0.32 ₫8,213
-12.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.81 ₫20.8K
$1.08 ₫27.8K
-25.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.33 ₫34.3K
$1.69 ₫43.6K
-21.30%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.56 ₫40.3K
$1.66 ₫42.8K
-6.02%
White Bread (500g)
$0.91 ₫23.4K
$1.19 ₫30.6K
-23.53%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 ₫19.1K
$1.03 ₫26.4K
-28.16%
Eggs
$1.43 ₫36.9K
$1.67 ₫43.1K
-14.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.23 ₫340.7K
$12.24 ₫315.2K
8.09%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.20 ₫108.2K
$3.54 ₫91.1K
18.64%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.89 ₫280.4K
$10.25 ₫264.1K
6.24%
Apples (1kg)
$2.54 ₫65.5K
$3.11 ₫80.2K
-18.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 ₫25.9K
$1.22 ₫31.5K
-17.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 ₫32.1K
$1.43 ₫37.0K
-12.59%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.98 ₫25.1K
$1.22 ₫31.5K
-19.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.86 ₫22.2K
$1.20 ₫30.9K
-28.33%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 ₫31.0K
$1.20 ₫31.0K
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 ₫14.5K
$0.73 ₫18.8K
-23.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₫16.0K
$0.52 ₫13.5K
19.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.27 ₫32.8K
$1.23 ₫31.6K
3.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.82 ₫175.6K
$11.55 ₫297.6K
-40.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 ₫24.9K
$0.93 ₫24.0K
4.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 ₫37.2K
$1.48 ₫38.0K
-2.03%
🚌 Getting Around
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 ₫9,167
$0.28 ₫7,233
28.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$7.84 ₫202.0K
$11.62 ₫299.2K
-32.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 ₫22.5K
$0.76 ₫19.5K
14.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.66 ₫17.1K
$0.62 ₫15.8K
6.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 ₫60.5K
$3.12 ₫80.3K
-24.68%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.00 ₫25.7K
$0.90 ₫23.3K
11.11%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$34.8K ₫895.5M
$30.9K ₫796.1M
12.49%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K ₫732.6M
$29.6K ₫762.3M
-3.90%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$77.9 ₫2.0M
$99.8 ₫2.6M
-21.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.13 ₫132.2K
$5.75 ₫148.1K
-10.78%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.55 ₫246.0K
$10.29 ₫265.0K
-7.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.02 ₫567.2K
$18.18 ₫468.3K
21.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.81 ₫201.2K
$12.16 ₫313.2K
-35.77%
Cinema Ticket
$3.54 ₫91.1K
$3.90 ₫100.4K
-9.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$362 ₫9.3M
$530 ₫13.7M
-31.71%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K ₫413.7M
$26.6K ₫686.2M
-39.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.54 ₫1.1M
$52.8 ₫1.4M
-21.27%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.75 ₫766.3K
$34.88 ₫898.5K
-14.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$73.3 ₫1.9M
$95.1 ₫2.5M
-22.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$65.5 ₫1.7M
$95.5 ₫2.5M
-31.38%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$403 ₫10.4M
$617 ₫15.9M
-34.74%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$314 ₫8.1M
$297 ₫7.7M
5.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 ₫15.0M
$1,311 ₫33.8M
-55.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ₫16.8M
$708 ₫18.2M
-8.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,316 ₫59.7M
$4,430 ₫114.1M
-47.72%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,382 ₫35.6M
$2,011 ₫51.8M
-31.30%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hai Duong
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$505 ₫13.0M
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.17
8.64
-5.44%

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

Last update for Hai Duong: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Hai Duong
$314
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$297 5.3% $17
Groceries & Markets
Hai Duong
$191
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$205 7.2% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Hai Duong
$95
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$125 32.4% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hai Duong
$93
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$116 25.2% $23
Eating Out
Hai Duong
$56
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$64 14.6% $8.2
Sport & Entertainment
Hai Duong
$29
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$26 10.7% $3.1
Getting Around
Hai Duong
$13
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$17 23.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $403 in Hai Duong versus $617 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 $21 in Hai Duong versus $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $205 – making Hai Duong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Hai Duong
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🕒 Local time
02:54 2:54 AM
02:54 2:54 AM
Same time as Hai Duong
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
312,606
9,456,700
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 25,761 VND (100,000 VND = 3.88 USD). 1 EUR = 29,000 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hai Duong Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hai Duong
  • 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
Hai Duong vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hai Duong cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 7%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,186 per month in Hai Duong and $1,275 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Hai Duong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $617 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $362 per month in Hai Duong and $530 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Hai Duong and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $1,000 enough for either Hai Duong or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $791 in Hai Duong and $850 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Hai Duong or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Hai Duong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Hai Duong or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
For expats, Hai Duong is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 7% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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