Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Changsha: $784 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $850 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 Changsha
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Changsha Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Changsha

🇨🇳 China

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $784 in Changsha.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Changsha $784

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,263 in Changsha.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Changsha $1,263

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,742 in Changsha.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Changsha $1,742

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 9% more expensive than in Changsha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Changsha 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$2.96 ¥19.80

-35.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$22.08 ¥148

5.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.99 ¥33.35

-6.41%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$3.43 ¥22.94

-46.06%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.47 ¥3.12

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.25 ¥1.66

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.25 ¥8.36

-19.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$1.97 ¥13.15

-14.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.96 ¥13.09

-19.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.36 ¥15.76

-55.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$0.94 ¥6.29

5.32%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.73 ¥11.56

-7.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$12.84 ¥85.8

-4.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.91 ¥26.13

-9.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$11.63 ¥77.7

-10.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$2.92 ¥19.52

5.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.44 ¥9.60

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.90 ¥12.73

-17.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.94 ¥12.96

-35.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$1.01 ¥6.76

15.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$1.57 ¥10.51

-26.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.65 ¥4.33

10.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.48 ¥3.18

12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.03 ¥20.22

-59.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$12.43 ¥83.0

-1.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.07 ¥7.16

-8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.54 ¥10.29

-3.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.36 ¥2.38

-22.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$14.89 ¥99.5

-21.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.47 ¥9.84

-50.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.29 ¥1.92

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$4.52 ¥30.22

-29.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.29 ¥8.60

-26.36%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$19.5K ¥130.2K

57.84%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$17.4K ¥116.2K

75.91%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$56.9 ¥380

79.95%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$8.83 ¥59.0

-36.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$13.56 ¥90.6

-22.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$55.0 ¥367

-52.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$24.39 ¥163

-51.54%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$6.44 ¥43.01

-47.36%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$325 ¥2,169

34.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$16.8K ¥112.2K

38.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$81.8 ¥546

-36.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$34.27 ¥229

0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$87.2 ¥583

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$59.0 ¥395

60.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$265 ¥1,770

117.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$168 ¥1,122

73.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$569 ¥3,804

127.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$383 ¥2,561

87.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,477 ¥16.6K

90.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,393 ¥9,308

35.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$1,097 ¥7,331

-55.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.46

149.71%

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

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Last update for Changsha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Changsha

$168 21.5% 42.5% $124

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Changsha

$235 30.1% 14.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Changsha

$118 15.1% 3.7% $4.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Changsha

$79 10.2% 33.1% $39

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Changsha

$93 11.9% 46.4% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Changsha

$68 8.7% 108% $35

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Changsha

$19 2.5% 15.1% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $265 in Changsha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changsha pays 126% 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 $22.00 in Changsha. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $235, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Changsha

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

19:55 7:55 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

5,289,000

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 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) Changsha 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Changsha

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 Changsha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Changsha differ by about 9% in total monthly costs ($855 vs $784 including rent). Changsha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 126% lower in Changsha. 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $265 in Changsha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $784 in Changsha – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $784 in Changsha versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Changsha but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Changsha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Changsha 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 Changsha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.