Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Benxi: $705 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Benxi
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Benxi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Benxi

🇨🇳 China

$705

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $705 in Benxi, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Benxi $705

A couple spends around $1,410 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,021 in Benxi, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Benxi $1,021

A family of three spends $1,958 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,336 in Benxi, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Benxi $1,336

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 22% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Benxi are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Benxi 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$3.01 ¥20.12

-34.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$22.14 ¥148

4.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$5.33 ¥35.60

-10.69%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.48 ¥16.57

-25.00%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.47 ¥3.16

8.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.29 ¥1.92

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.72 ¥4.78

43.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.78 ¥11.89

-3.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.86 ¥12.41

-15.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.17 ¥7.82

-6.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.85 ¥5.71

23.53%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.57 ¥10.53

4.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$9.57 ¥64.0

28.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.84 ¥18.98

26.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.21 ¥61.6

14.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$1.69 ¥11.28

75.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.44 ¥9.60

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.63 ¥10.89

-0.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.31 ¥8.77

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.57 ¥3.84

108.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.83 ¥12.24

-37.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.58 ¥3.88

25.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.64 ¥4.28

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.07 ¥20.51

-58.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$8.16 ¥54.5

52.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.58 ¥3.87

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.25 ¥8.36

18.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$11.84 ¥79.1

-3.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$0.86 ¥5.77

-20.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$3.00 ¥20.07

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.13 ¥7.55

-19.47%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

58.44%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$17.8K ¥119.2K

64.68%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$55.1 ¥369

88.19%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$6.56 ¥43.87

-11.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$10.67 ¥71.3

-1.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$67.2 ¥449

-61.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$8.25 ¥55.1

44.24%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.83 ¥38.98

-33.28%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$446 ¥2,980

-1.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$9,125 ¥61.0K

163.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$30.26 ¥202

68.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$81.4 ¥544

-56.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$60.0 ¥401

53.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$53.1 ¥355

81.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$134 ¥896

334.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$180 ¥1,204

64.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$261 ¥1,744

397.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$150 ¥1,005

383.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$3,552 ¥23.7K

34.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,908 ¥12.8K

-2.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$444 ¥2,968

10.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

116.00%

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

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

Last update for Benxi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Benxi

$180 25.5% 39.3% $117

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Benxi

$178 25.2% 14.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Benxi

$101 14.3% 18.2% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Benxi

$72 10.3% 39.7% $48

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Benxi

$80 11.3% 24.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Benxi

$79 11.2% 133% $45

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Benxi

$15 2.2% 5.5% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $134 in Benxi. 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 10% 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 $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $22.00 in Benxi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $208 vs $178 – making Benxi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Benxi

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

809,655

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

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).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Benxi 3,780 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Benxi

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 Benxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 22% more than Benxi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,294 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,058 in Benxi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $440 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $446 in Benxi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Benxi, where all-in costs run around $705, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $862. In Benxi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Benxi costs $705 versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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 Benxi. 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.