Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaozhou: $642 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Chaozhou
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Chaozhou Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Chaozhou

🇨🇳 China

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $642 in Chaozhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Chaozhou $642

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,047 in Chaozhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Chaozhou $1,047

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,451 in Chaozhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Chaozhou $1,451

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 34% more expensive than in Chaozhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Chaozhou 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.26 ¥15.10

-12.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$23.63 ¥158

-2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$3.54 ¥23.65

34.46%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$1.52 ¥10.18

22.37%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.49 ¥3.29

4.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.29 ¥1.93

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.17 ¥7.83

-11.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.87 ¥19.20

-40.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.52 ¥10.19

3.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.48 ¥9.88

-26.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.73 ¥4.87

43.84%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.16 ¥7.74

41.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$9.61 ¥64.2

28.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.52 ¥16.85

42.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$11.99 ¥80.1

-11.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.20 ¥14.74

35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$0.94 ¥6.29

34.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$0.92 ¥6.16

76.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.76 ¥11.77

-25.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.62 ¥4.15

91.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.47 ¥3.15

142.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.43 ¥2.88

69.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.31 ¥2.08

80.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$2.95 ¥19.76

-56.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$11.03 ¥73.8

12.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.72 ¥4.84

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.17 ¥7.84

26.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.29 ¥1.92

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$18.02 ¥121

-36.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.00 ¥6.71

-32.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$7.03 ¥47.02

-57.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.24 ¥8.26

-26.61%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.4K ¥129.6K

57.71%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$17.7K ¥118.1K

66.23%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$43.79 ¥293

136.97%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$4.32 ¥28.86

34.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$11.32 ¥75.7

-7.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$41.24 ¥276

-36.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$15.04 ¥101

-20.88%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$6.36 ¥42.53

-38.84%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$483 ¥3,231

-8.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$24.7K ¥165.0K

-2.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$13.41 ¥89.7

279.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$28.46 ¥190

23.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$88.1 ¥589

4.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$60.0 ¥401

60.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$300 ¥2,003

94.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$179 ¥1,200

65.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$624 ¥4,169

108.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$376 ¥2,513

93.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$3,524 ¥23.6K

35.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,951 ¥13.0K

-4.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$490 ¥3,279

-0.09%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Chaozhou: 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%

Chaozhou

$179 28% 39.5% $117

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Chaozhou

$180 28.1% 13.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Chaozhou

$85 13.3% 30.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Chaozhou

$59 9.3% 50.5% $61

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Chaozhou

$62 9.6% 4.1% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Chaozhou

$54 8.4% 59.4% $20

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Chaozhou

$22 3.4% 32.9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $300 in Chaozhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chaozhou pays 0% 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 $24.00 in Chaozhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $180, with Chaozhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Chaozhou

🕒 Local time

10:47 10:47 AM

11:47 11:47 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,568,387

💱 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 23, 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 23, 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) Chaozhou 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Chaozhou

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 Chaozhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Chaozhou differ by about 34% in total monthly costs ($862 vs $642 including rent). Chaozhou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 0% lower in Chaozhou. 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 $300 in Chaozhou. 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 $483 in Chaozhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $642 in Chaozhou versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chaozhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou 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 Chaozhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.