Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $741 in Changzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 16% more expensive than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Changzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.92 ¥19.51

-34.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$28.54 ¥191

-19.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.51 ¥30.16

0.67%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.22 ¥14.82

-16.67%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.38 ¥2.55

47.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.23 ¥1.53

39.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.62 ¥4.15

70.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.45 ¥9.69

18.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.86 ¥12.47

-10.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.28 ¥8.59

-13.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.00 ¥6.66

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$1.72 ¥11.54

-2.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$7.41 ¥49.55

63.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.82 ¥18.86

30.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$12.35 ¥82.6

-17.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$2.16 ¥14.44

37.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.73 ¥11.58

-28.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.97 ¥13.14

-20.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.04 ¥6.97

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.77 ¥5.13

59.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.99 ¥6.63

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.39 ¥2.60

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.62 ¥4.18

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.29 ¥22.03

-62.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$10.58 ¥70.8

19.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.82 ¥5.49

17.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.56 ¥10.45

-1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.33 ¥2.20

-21.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$14.32 ¥95.8

-19.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.51 ¥10.09

-50.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.31 ¥2.08

116.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.93 ¥19.57

3.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.31 ¥8.74

-26.72%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$17.1K ¥114.1K

82.03%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$13.8K ¥92.3K

119.88%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$57.5 ¥385

77.33%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$8.13 ¥54.3

-27.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$10.66 ¥71.3

-1.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$40.60 ¥272

-37.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$14.75 ¥98.7

-19.19%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$4.57 ¥30.53

-22.76%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$251 ¥1,681

73.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$15.1K ¥101.1K

54.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$55.3 ¥370

-4.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$22.58 ¥151

51.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$76.0 ¥508

18.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$76.2 ¥510

24.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$285 ¥1,908

106.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$229 ¥1,529

30.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$917 ¥6,133

40.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$495 ¥3,312

43.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,942 ¥19.7K

58.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,613 ¥10.8K

18.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,067 ¥7,132

-54.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.35

157.91%

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 Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 23.2% $69

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 7.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Changzhou

$104 14% 15.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 35.5% $42

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 13.3% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 52.5% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 12.3% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changzhou pays 118% 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 $29.00 in Changzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $192, with Changzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

5,278,121

💱 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 = 28,997 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) Changzhou 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Changzhou

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 Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries and clothing. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 118% lower in Changzhou. 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 $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changzhou 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 Changzhou 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 Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.