Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $912 in Changchun, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. The total is higher in Changchun despite lower rent and utilities.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Changchun
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Changchun Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Changchun

🇨🇳 China

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $912 in Changchun.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Changchun $912

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,335 in Changchun.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Changchun $1,335

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,757 in Changchun.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Changchun $1,757

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 6% less than in Changchun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Changchun 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.95 ¥19.71

-35.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$22.24 ¥149

2.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.19 ¥34.69

-12.52%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.49 ¥16.66

-25.70%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.48 ¥3.20

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.29 ¥1.94

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.17 ¥7.82

-9.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.82 ¥12.19

-5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.90 ¥12.70

-12.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.22 ¥8.16

-9.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.45 ¥9.72

-31.03%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$1.84 ¥12.33

-9.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$34.91 ¥233

-65.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$5.88 ¥39.33

-37.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$10.55 ¥70.6

-2.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$1.71 ¥11.44

73.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.46 ¥9.79

-15.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.78 ¥11.88

-12.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.90 ¥12.68

-31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.88 ¥5.87

39.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.61 ¥4.10

21.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.48 ¥9.89

-62.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.65 ¥24.44

-66.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$20.59 ¥138

-38.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.93 ¥6.21

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.14 ¥7.60

34.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.44 ¥2.92

-40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.23 ¥8.26

-39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.31 ¥2.11

116.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.93 ¥19.57

3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.24 ¥8.30

-22.58%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

58.66%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$18.0K ¥120.1K

69.07%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$75.1 ¥502

35.76%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$4.52 ¥30.24

30.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$14.87 ¥99.5

-29.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$38.44 ¥257

-33.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$4.21 ¥28.18

183.14%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$6.86 ¥45.91

-48.54%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$546 ¥3,650

-20.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$21.4K ¥143.2K

8.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$74.2 ¥496

-28.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$45.27 ¥303

-24.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$60.9 ¥407

48.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$71.0 ¥475

33.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$218 ¥1,459

170.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$251 ¥1,679

18.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$575 ¥3,847

124.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$310 ¥2,073

129.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,661 ¥11.1K

181.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,015 ¥6,789

87.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$965 ¥6,451

-49.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.37

97.71%

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 Changchun: 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%

Changchun

$251 27.5% 15.7% $47

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Changchun

$315 * 34.6% 52% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Changchun

$113 12.4% 7.6% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Changchun

$95 10.4% 20.2% $24

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Changchun

$82 9% 28.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Changchun

$52 5.7% 60% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Changchun

$4.6 * 0.5% 72.7% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $218 in Changchun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changchun pays 97% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $22.00 in Changchun. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $315, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Changchun

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

15:21 3:21 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

9,066,906

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Changchun 4,090 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Changchun

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 Changchun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 97% lower in Changchun. 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: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $218 in Changchun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $546 in Changchun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $22.00 in Changchun. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $912 in Changchun, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Changchun. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Changchun 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 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Changchun. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.