Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,156 in Harbin, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Harbin
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Harbin 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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Harbin

🇨🇳 China

$1,156

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,156 per month in Harbin vs $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Harbin $1,156
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

A couple spends around $1,617 per month in Harbin vs $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Harbin $1,617
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

A family of three spends $2,077 per month in Harbin vs $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Harbin $2,077
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Harbin costs about 35% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Harbin and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Harbin 14% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.77

$1.91 ₫49.6K

15.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.30 ¥149

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-2.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.47

$4.54 ₫117.6K

16.96%

Cappuccino

$2.81 ¥18.81

$1.85 ₫48.0K

51.89%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ¥1.72

$0.32 ₫8,185

-18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-18.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-6.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 ¥14.00

$1.66 ₫42.9K

25.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.97 ¥13.18

$1.11 ₫28.7K

77.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ¥6.50

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-3.00%

Eggs

$1.40 ¥9.34

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-16.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.87 ¥59.3

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-26.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.61 ¥17.44

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-29.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.13 ¥81.1

$10.24 ₫265.1K

18.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.49

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-46.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.24 ₫32.2K

4.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-17.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.60

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-23.85%

Potato (1kg)

$0.54 ¥3.59

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.22

$1.15 ₫29.8K

33.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ¥5.20

$0.56 ₫14.4K

39.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 ¥17.07

$1.24 ₫32.1K

105.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.80 ¥119

$12.60 ₫326.1K

41.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ¥10.58

$1.53 ₫39.6K

3.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.26 ₫6,694

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.90 ¥72.9

$11.51 ₫297.9K

-5.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.38 ¥9.21

$0.75 ₫19.5K

84.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-56.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.65

$3.03 ₫78.5K

16.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ¥8.58

$0.96 ₫24.8K

33.33%

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

$19.6K ¥131.0K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-36.92%

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

$15.5K ¥103.9K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-48.83%

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

$77.8 ¥520

$102 ₫2.6M

-23.73%

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

$14.58 ¥97.5

$5.89 ₫152.5K

147.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 ¥81.5

$10.49 ₫271.6K

16.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.0 ¥569

$25.54 ₫661.2K

232.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.80 ¥199

$11.92 ₫308.5K

150.00%

Cinema Ticket

$5.85 ¥39.11

$3.53 ₫91.3K

65.72%

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

$297 ¥1,986

$436 ₫11.3M

-31.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K ¥69.4K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-55.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.36 ¥203

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-42.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ¥196

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 ¥476

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-21.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$304 ¥2,035

$95.0 ₫2.5M

220.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$317 ¥2,123

$589 ₫15.3M

-46.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 ¥3,052

$298 ₫7.7M

53.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 ¥9,018

$1,292 ₫33.5M

4.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,561

$711 ₫18.4M

-25.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,192 ¥21.3K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-31.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,326 ¥8,865

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-30.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 ¥3,903

$490 ₫12.7M

19.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

8.64

-54.63%

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

Last update for Harbin: October 13, 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

Harbin

$456 39.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 34.7% $159

Groceries & Markets

Harbin

$209 18.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 1% $2.1

Clothing & Footwear

Harbin

$196 17%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 37.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Harbin

$105 9.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 13.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Harbin

$97 8.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 66.3% $64

Eating Out

Harbin

$78 6.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Harbin

$15 1.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 11.1% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $317 in Harbin versus $589 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.

Salaries run about 19% higher in Harbin, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Harbin versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Groceries tell a different story – $209 in Harbin vs $207 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – so Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Harbin

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

10:23 10:23 AM

1 h behind Harbin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,009,854

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 = 3.44 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Harbin Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 4,330 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Harbin
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

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

Harbin costs about 35% more than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,733 per month in Harbin and $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Harbin and $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,156 in Harbin and $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). That's a gap of about 35%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), where all-in costs run around $859, than in Harbin at $1,156. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it covers expenses comfortably, while in Harbin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs $859 versus $1,156 in Harbin. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Harbin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.