Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Binzhou: $777 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Binzhou
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Binzhou Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Binzhou

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $777 in Binzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Binzhou $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,233 in Binzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Binzhou $1,233

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,690 in Binzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Binzhou $1,690

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 11% more expensive than in Binzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Binzhou 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$3.07 ¥20.56

-35.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$18.04 ¥121

28.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.60 ¥30.73

3.48%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.81 ¥18.79

-33.81%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.50 ¥3.34

2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.30 ¥1.99

6.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.10 ¥7.35

-6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.68 ¥17.91

-36.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$2.01 ¥13.41

-21.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.34 ¥8.99

-18.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$1.04 ¥6.93

0.96%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.34 ¥8.94

22.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$16.53 ¥111

-25.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.40 ¥29.43

-18.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.96 ¥66.6

6.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$1.40 ¥9.35

112.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.15 ¥7.68

9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.71 ¥11.41

-5.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.26 ¥8.44

3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.67 ¥4.46

77.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.95 ¥6.35

20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$1.02 ¥6.79

-28.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.61 ¥4.07

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.71 ¥24.83

-65.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$14.59 ¥97.6

-14.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.03 ¥6.90

-6.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.63 ¥10.88

-9.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$17.84 ¥119

-35.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.04 ¥6.95

-34.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.42 ¥2.81

47.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$8.98 ¥60.1

-66.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.32 ¥8.83

-31.06%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.2K ¥128.3K

59.32%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$16.3K ¥108.9K

80.23%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$69.2 ¥463

50.02%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$6.69 ¥44.74

-13.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$7.63 ¥51.0

37.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$42.10 ¥281

-38.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$15.20 ¥102

-21.71%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.97 ¥39.91

-34.84%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$367 ¥2,455

19.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$18.0K ¥120.6K

33.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$52.2 ¥349

-2.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$48.00 ¥321

-26.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$93.9 ¥628

-1.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$88.7 ¥593

8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$299 ¥1,998

94.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$179 ¥1,197

65.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$626 ¥4,183

107.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$380 ¥2,543

91.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$3,554 ¥23.8K

34.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,944 ¥13.0K

-4.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$562 ¥3,755

-12.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.37

156.38%

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 Binzhou: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Binzhou

$179 23.1% 39.6% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Binzhou

$224 28.9% 8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Binzhou

$127 16.4% 2.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Binzhou

$83 10.8% 30.4% $37

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Binzhou

$86 11.1% 33.9% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Binzhou

$54 7% 59.6% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Binzhou

$22 2.9% 36.7% $6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $299 in Binzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Binzhou pays 15% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $18.00 in Binzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $224, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Binzhou

🕒 Local time

21:22 9:22 PM

22:22 10:22 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,748,500

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Binzhou 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Binzhou

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 Binzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Binzhou is cheaper overall, especially in utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 15% lower in Binzhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $299 in Binzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $440 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $367 in Binzhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $777 in Binzhou versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Binzhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Binzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Binzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Binzhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Binzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.