Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Bac Ninh: $457 a month against $864 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Bac Ninh
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Bac Ninh Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$864

/mo nomad

Bac Ninh

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $864 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $457 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $864
Bac Ninh $457

A couple spends around $1,402 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $743 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,402
Bac Ninh $743

A family of three spends $1,940 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,028 in Bac Ninh, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,940
Bac Ninh $1,028

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 89% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Bac Ninh are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 35% lower, Bac Ninh 66% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.20 ₫56.3K

$1.15 ₫29.5K

91.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.71 ₫606.7K

$23.01 ₫589.0K

3.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ₫116.9K

$2.60 ₫66.7K

75.77%

Cappuccino

$1.82 ₫46.5K

$1.15 ₫29.6K

58.26%

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

$0.54 ₫13.7K

$0.26 ₫6,595

107.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ₫8,430

$0.22 ₫5,534

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 ₫26.8K

$0.72 ₫18.4K

45.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ₫41.4K

$1.00 ₫25.7K

62.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 ₫43.0K

$1.57 ₫40.1K

7.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ₫32.0K

$1.01 ₫25.9K

23.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ₫27.6K

$0.78 ₫19.9K

38.46%

Eggs

$1.62 ₫41.3K

$1.49 ₫38.2K

8.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.18 ₫311.7K

$11.72 ₫299.9K

3.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.42 ₫87.6K

$3.71 ₫95.1K

-7.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.14 ₫259.6K

$9.70 ₫248.2K

4.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 ₫79.4K

$3.06 ₫78.3K

1.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫31.7K

$1.01 ₫25.9K

22.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 ₫36.9K

$1.31 ₫33.7K

9.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 ₫32.7K

$1.08 ₫27.6K

18.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ₫31.7K

$0.91 ₫23.3K

36.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ₫30.7K

$1.19 ₫30.5K

0.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.6K

$0.54 ₫13.9K

35.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.52 ₫13.4K

7.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫32.8K

$1.40 ₫36.0K

-8.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.89 ₫304.3K

$11.04 ₫282.5K

7.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ₫24.0K

$0.86 ₫22.0K

9.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₫38.6K

$1.62 ₫41.4K

-6.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,239

$0.41 ₫10.4K

-31.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.67 ₫298.8K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.90 ₫23.1K

-17.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.0K

$0.61 ₫15.5K

1.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 ₫77.9K

$2.32 ₫59.5K

31.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.1K

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

$31.5K ₫805.6M

$30.8K ₫787.2M

2.33%

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

$29.9K ₫766.2M

$29.5K ₫754.8M

1.51%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$84.7 ₫2.2M

20.65%

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

$5.93 ₫151.7K

$5.12 ₫131.0K

15.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.29 ₫263.4K

$6.95 ₫177.8K

48.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.47 ₫524.0K

$11.93 ₫305.3K

71.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.34 ₫239.1K

$7.98 ₫204.2K

17.04%

Cinema Ticket

$3.88 ₫99.4K

$3.21 ₫82.0K

20.87%

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

$535 ₫13.7M

$716 ₫18.3M

-25.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.3K ₫698.2M

$12.8K ₫328.6M

112.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.2 ₫1.4M

$46.36 ₫1.2M

14.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.73 ₫888.8K

$29.33 ₫750.7K

18.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.6 ₫2.4M

$83.8 ₫2.1M

14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.5 ₫2.4M

$74.8 ₫1.9M

27.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$633 ₫16.2M

$692 ₫17.7M

-8.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$304 ₫7.8M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,311 ₫33.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,446 ₫113.8M

$1,691 ₫43.3M

162.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,007 ₫51.4M

$792 ₫20.3M

153.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 ₫12.8M

$384 ₫9.8M

29.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

8.17

5.75%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): November 8, 2026

Last update for Bac Ninh: November 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$304 35.1%

Bac Ninh

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 23.9%

Bac Ninh

$193 42.2% 6.6% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$126 14.5%

Bac Ninh

$105 23.1% 16% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.7%

Bac Ninh

$97 21.2% 18.3% $22

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$65 7.5%

Bac Ninh

$38 8.4% 41% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$28 3.3%

Bac Ninh

$18 4% 35.1% $9.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Bac Ninh

$5.6 * 1.2% 66.6% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $633 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $692 in Bac Ninh. 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 30% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), 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 $24 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $23 in Bac Ninh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $193 – making Bac Ninh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Bac Ninh

🕒 Local time

17:20 5:20 PM

Same time as Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

288,766

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.91 USD

100,000 VND = 3.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Bac Ninh 1,160 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Bac Ninh

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 Bac Ninh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 89% more than Bac Ninh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,296 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $686 in Bac Ninh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $633 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $692 in Bac Ninh. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $23 in Bac Ninh. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Bac Ninh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $864. In Bac Ninh 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 $457 in Bac Ninh to $864 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Bac Ninh. If higher salaries 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.