Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankang: $725 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Ankang
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Ankang Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Ankang

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Ankang

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Ankang actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $725 in Ankang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Ankang $725

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,132 in Ankang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Ankang $1,132

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,540 in Ankang, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Ankang $1,540

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 18% more than Ankang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Ankang are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Ankang 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.5K

$1.47 ¥9.80

29.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫590.9K

$14.99 ¥100

52.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.5K

$2.91 ¥19.45

56.01%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.15 ¥14.38

-13.95%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.43 ¥2.90

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,180

$0.27 ¥1.79

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.50 ¥10.02

-29.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.48 ¥9.86

16.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.47 ¥9.84

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.6K

$1.70 ¥11.36

-34.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.90 ¥5.98

11.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.49 ¥9.97

12.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.6K

$11.41 ¥76.2

5.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.1K

$4.12 ¥27.51

-10.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫264.9K

$10.36 ¥69.2

-1.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.70 ¥11.34

74.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.15 ¥7.66

7.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.24 ¥8.32

25.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.5K

$1.26 ¥8.43

3.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$0.68 ¥4.51

80.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.69 ¥4.61

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.58 ¥3.84

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ¥3.67

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.31 ¥22.14

-62.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫325.9K

$9.89 ¥66.1

27.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.78 ¥5.19

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$1.68 ¥11.21

-8.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,690

$0.32 ¥2.12

-18.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.7K

$17.21 ¥115

-33.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.25 ¥8.34

-40.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.3K

$0.29 ¥1.93

131.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.36 ¥29.14

-30.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.36 ¥9.07

-29.41%

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

$31.1K ₫803.8M

$19.3K ¥129.3K

60.59%

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

$30.4K ₫785.4M

$17.5K ¥116.9K

73.49%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$89.3 ¥597

14.15%

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

$5.89 ₫152.4K

$3.26 ¥21.77

80.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.5K

$10.61 ¥70.9

-1.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫660.8K

$44.85 ¥300

-43.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.3K

$13.11 ¥87.6

-9.08%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.68 ¥37.96

-37.85%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$679 ¥4,537

-35.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.4M

$17.2K ¥115.1K

35.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$39.44 ¥264

33.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫883.6K

$37.19 ¥248

-8.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$74.4 ¥497

21.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$92.4 ¥618

2.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$299 ¥2,001

96.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$182 ¥1,219

63.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.4M

$616 ¥4,114

109.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$386 ¥2,580

84.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.0M

$3,279 ¥21.9K

42.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$2,225 ¥14.9K

-14.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.35

157.91%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Last update for Ankang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Ankang

$182 25.2% 38.7% $115

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Ankang

$193 26.6% 6.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Ankang

$110 15.1% 10.5% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Ankang

$103 14.2% 12.8% $15

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Ankang

$60 8.2% 6.1% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ankang

$56 7.8% 72.5% $24

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Ankang

$21 2.9% 27.1% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $299 in Ankang. 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $15.00 in Ankang. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $193 – making Ankang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Ankang

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

15:14 3:14 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

894,853

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 25,872 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 29,005 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Ankang 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ankang

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

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

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,088 in Ankang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankang, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Ankang. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $436 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $679 in Ankang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ankang, where all-in costs run around $725, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Ankang it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ankang – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Ankang. 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.