Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Anqing: $643 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Anqing
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Anqing Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Anqing

🇨🇳 China

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Anqing actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $643 in Anqing, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Anqing $643

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,005 in Anqing, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Anqing $1,005

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,368 in Anqing, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Anqing $1,368

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 34% more than Anqing, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Anqing are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Anqing 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.68 ¥17.96

-28.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$19.93 ¥133

14.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.87 ¥39.24

-22.66%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.14 ¥14.28

-13.55%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.43 ¥2.88

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.21 ¥1.40

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.04 ¥6.95

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.36 ¥9.08

26.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$0.98 ¥6.55

69.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.51 ¥10.10

-26.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.01 ¥6.72

-0.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$0.88 ¥5.91

89.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$13.30 ¥89.0

-9.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.62 ¥24.23

1.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$11.67 ¥78.1

-12.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$2.19 ¥14.67

35.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.26 ¥8.39

-1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.46 ¥9.78

6.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.14 ¥7.61

14.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.78 ¥5.24

57.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.82 ¥5.52

40.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.38 ¥2.51

94.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.38 ¥2.55

47.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$6.57 ¥43.91

-81.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$11.83 ¥79.1

6.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.74 ¥4.93

29.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.50 ¥10.06

2.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.93 ¥6.22

-19.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.24 ¥1.60

179.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$3.00 ¥20.10

1.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.23 ¥8.24

-21.95%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$19.5K ¥130.6K

59.13%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$16.6K ¥110.7K

83.36%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$57.8 ¥386

76.56%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$8.67 ¥58.0

-32.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$8.71 ¥58.2

20.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$75.3 ¥504

-66.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$15.11 ¥101

-21.11%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$5.25 ¥35.11

-32.76%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$221 ¥1,477

97.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$11.8K ¥79.2K

96.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$25.01 ¥167

110.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$21.19 ¥142

61.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$78.2 ¥523

15.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$34.17 ¥229

177.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$193 ¥1,290

205.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$137 ¥917

117.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$357 ¥2,385

262.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$238 ¥1,592

198.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$13.1K ¥87.7K

-64.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$6,480 ¥43.3K

-70.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$775 ¥5,180

-36.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

188.00%

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 Anqing: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Anqing

$137 21.3% 54% $161

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Anqing

$196 30.5% 5.4% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Anqing

$71 11.1% 41.7% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 36.5% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Anqing

$75 11.7% 18.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Anqing

$86 13.4% 163% $53

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Anqing

$2.1 * 0.3% 87.2% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $193 in Anqing. 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 58% higher in Anqing, 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $20.00 in Anqing. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $196 – making Anqing the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Anqing

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,165,284

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,990 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Anqing 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Anqing

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 Anqing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $643 in Anqing – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $964 in Anqing. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Anqing, 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $20.00 in Anqing. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anqing, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Anqing 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 $643 in Anqing to $859 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 Anqing. 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.