Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Hai Phong: $699 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Hai Phong
Learn more

Hai Phong 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

Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$699

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $699 in Hai Phong versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Hai Phong $699
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,182 in Hai Phong versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Hai Phong $1,182
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,666 in Hai Phong versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Hai Phong $1,666
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Hai Phong costs roughly 19% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Hai Phong 48% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 ₫38.9K

$1.91 ₫49.6K

-21.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.34 ₫500.6K

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-15.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.12 ₫106.7K

$4.54 ₫117.6K

-9.25%

Cappuccino

$1.84 ₫47.5K

$1.85 ₫48.0K

-0.54%

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

$0.51 ₫13.2K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-8.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,333

$0.32 ₫8,185

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-30.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-8.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 ₫39.4K

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-8.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$1.11 ₫28.7K

-54.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 ₫19.3K

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-25.00%

Eggs

$1.50 ₫38.9K

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-10.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.47 ₫271.1K

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-13.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.70 ₫95.7K

$3.68 ₫95.2K

0.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 ₫262.1K

$10.24 ₫265.1K

-1.17%

Apples (1kg)

$3.40 ₫88.0K

$2.96 ₫76.5K

14.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 ₫27.8K

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-13.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 ₫34.3K

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-14.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.9K

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-11.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-18.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ₫29.1K

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-2.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ₫15.2K

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.5K

$0.56 ₫14.4K

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.18 ₫30.4K

$1.24 ₫32.1K

-4.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.71 ₫329.0K

$12.60 ₫326.1K

0.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-21.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 ₫41.7K

$1.53 ₫39.6K

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.39 ₫10.1K

$0.26 ₫6,694

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.75 ₫148.8K

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-50.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₫20.9K

$0.75 ₫19.5K

8.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 ₫15.5K

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-10.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.88 ₫48.6K

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-37.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.87 ₫22.6K

$0.96 ₫24.8K

-9.37%

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

$30.9K ₫800.0M

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-0.54%

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

$30.1K ₫778.1M

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-1.00%

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

$44.74 ₫1.2M

$102 ₫2.6M

-56.13%

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

$5.11 ₫132.3K

$5.89 ₫152.5K

-13.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.04 ₫234.1K

$10.49 ₫271.6K

-13.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.76 ₫589.1K

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-10.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.91 ₫204.8K

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-33.64%

Cinema Ticket

$4.23 ₫109.5K

$3.53 ₫91.3K

19.83%

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

$151 ₫3.9M

$436 ₫11.3M

-65.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,624 ₫119.7M

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-80.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.19 ₫1.2M

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-10.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.00 ₫543.7K

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-38.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 ₫2.2M

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.0 ₫2.0M

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-18.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 ₫6.4M

$589 ₫15.3M

-58.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$246 ₫6.4M

$298 ₫7.7M

-17.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ₫26.6M

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-20.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 ₫16.4M

$711 ₫18.4M

-11.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,340 ₫34.7M

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-71.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$948 ₫24.6M

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-50.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ₫13.0M

$490 ₫12.7M

2.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-18.98%

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

Last update for Hai Phong: October 11, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Hai Phong

$246 35.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 20.9% $52

Groceries & Markets

Hai Phong

$191 27.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 8.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Hai Phong

$104 14.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 18.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hai Phong

$59 8.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 101% $59

Eating Out

Hai Phong

$57 8.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 12.2% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Hai Phong

$31 4.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 4.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Hai Phong

$11 1.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 49.9% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $247 in Hai Phong and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hai Phong pays 2% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19.00 in Hai Phong vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $207 per month, with Hai Phong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Hai Phong

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:45 5:45 PM

Same time as Hai Phong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,105,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hai Phong Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($699 vs $859 including rent). Hai Phong is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Hai Phong, 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: $247 in Hai Phong versus $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $699 per month in Hai Phong versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Hai Phong runs roughly 100% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $699 in Hai Phong versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hai Phong but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Hai Phong 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, Hai Phong 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 Hai Phong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.