Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Heyuan: $792 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Heyuan
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Heyuan 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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Heyuan

🇨🇳 China

$792

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $792 per month in Heyuan vs $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Heyuan $792
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

A couple spends around $1,284 per month in Heyuan vs $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Heyuan $1,284
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

A family of three spends $1,776 per month in Heyuan vs $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent included.

Heyuan $1,776
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Heyuan is about 8% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Heyuan and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) are more affordable than the global median – Heyuan 42% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 ¥20.44

$1.98 ₫51.3K

54.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.30 ¥196

$23.14 ₫599.0K

26.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.34 ¥35.68

$4.76 ₫123.2K

12.18%

Cappuccino

$3.06 ¥20.47

$1.86 ₫48.1K

64.52%

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

$0.58 ¥3.87

$0.51 ₫13.3K

13.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ¥2.25

$0.32 ₫8,191

6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 ¥9.11

$1.03 ₫26.7K

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ¥18.38

$1.71 ₫44.4K

60.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 ¥11.95

$1.58 ₫40.8K

13.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 ¥12.75

$1.09 ₫28.3K

75.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.39

$1.05 ₫27.2K

5.71%

Eggs

$1.52 ¥10.19

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.29 ¥109

$12.33 ₫319.2K

32.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.14 ¥34.37

$3.58 ₫92.6K

43.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.23 ¥81.8

$10.56 ₫273.3K

15.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 ¥15.28

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-22.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ¥8.18

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-3.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.22

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-14.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.31 ₫33.8K

35.88%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.40

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-19.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 ¥7.92

$1.14 ₫29.6K

3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 ¥5.55

$0.73 ₫18.8K

13.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.44

$0.56 ₫14.6K

17.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 ¥26.04

$1.28 ₫33.0K

204.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.64 ¥71.1

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-14.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$0.96 ₫24.9K

6.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥12.71

$1.48 ₫38.3K

28.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.26 ₫6,704

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.71 ¥118

$11.43 ₫296.0K

54.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 ¥12.32

$0.68 ₫17.7K

170.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 ¥2.89

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-30.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.19 ¥48.04

$3.00 ₫77.7K

139.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.88

$0.91 ₫23.5K

46.15%

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

$19.2K ¥128.1K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-37.34%

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

$17.7K ¥118.6K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-39.58%

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

$61.4 ¥410

$104 ₫2.7M

-40.87%

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

$16.39 ¥110

$5.79 ₫149.9K

183.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.49 ¥96.9

$10.48 ₫271.3K

38.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 ¥275

$26.08 ₫675.1K

57.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.11 ¥101

$11.90 ₫308.1K

26.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.54 ¥43.72

$3.89 ₫100.7K

68.12%

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

$422 ¥2,823

$440 ₫11.4M

-4.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.4K ¥163.4K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.24 ¥329

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-3.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.47 ¥277

$35.18 ₫910.8K

17.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 ¥542

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-12.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.9 ¥467

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-27.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ¥2,026

$582 ₫15.1M

-47.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$182 ¥1,218

$297 ₫7.7M

-38.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,165

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-52.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$375 ¥2,507

$727 ₫18.8M

-48.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,487 ¥23.3K

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-27.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,937 ¥13.0K

$1,853 ₫48.0M

4.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,362 ¥9,104

$490 ₫12.7M

177.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

8.64

-60.88%

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

Last update for Heyuan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Heyuan

$239 30.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 12.9% $31

Accommodation & Living

Heyuan

$182 23%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 62.8% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Heyuan

$109 13.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 13.7% $15

Eating Out

Heyuan

$93 11.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 30.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Heyuan

$92 11.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 30.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Heyuan

$54 6.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 37.6% $20

Getting Around

Heyuan

$23 2.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 29.2% $6.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in Heyuan versus $582 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 178% higher in Heyuan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $239 vs $208 – making Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Heyuan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

19:35 7:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

1 h behind Heyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,953,019

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 20, 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 20, 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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Heyuan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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Heyuan
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $792 in Heyuan, $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – roughly 9% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,188 per month in Heyuan and $1,294 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 Heyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Heyuan 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.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heyuan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $862. In Heyuan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $792 in Heyuan to $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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