Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Cixi: $725 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Cixi
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Cixi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Cixi

🇨🇳 China

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $725 in Cixi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Cixi $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,145 in Cixi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Cixi $1,145

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,564 in Cixi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Cixi $1,564

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 18% more expensive than in Cixi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Cixi 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$2.86 ¥19.14

-33.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫604.8K

$21.88 ¥146

6.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.2K

$4.73 ¥31.61

-1.27%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.96 ¥19.77

-37.50%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.47 ¥3.14

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,875

$0.29 ¥1.95

17.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$0.94 ¥6.28

7.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.8K

$2.04 ¥13.64

-17.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.9K

$1.85 ¥12.40

-14.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.1K

$1.60 ¥10.68

-35.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$0.95 ¥6.37

4.21%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.6K

$1.54 ¥10.28

3.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫317.3K

$12.74 ¥85.1

-4.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.9K

$3.16 ¥21.11

12.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.8K

$10.37 ¥69.3

0.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫80.1K

$1.86 ¥12.42

66.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.25 ¥8.37

0.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.48 ¥9.89

6.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.6K

$1.11 ¥7.41

13.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.74 ¥4.93

58.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.90 ¥6.01

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.8K

$0.56 ¥3.71

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.54 ¥3.63

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.6K

$3.15 ¥21.04

-61.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫318.5K

$10.77 ¥72.0

14.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.5K

$0.78 ¥5.22

25.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$1.65 ¥11.00

-9.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,264

$0.29 ¥1.95

-3.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.5K

$16.62 ¥111

-30.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫19.0K

$1.42 ¥9.48

-48.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.36 ¥2.39

77.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.2K

$6.71 ¥44.85

-52.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.7K

$1.13 ¥7.55

-15.93%

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

$30.7K ₫797.2M

$19.7K ¥132.0K

55.69%

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

$30.6K ₫793.2M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

78.61%

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

$102 ₫2.7M

$44.63 ¥298

129.22%

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

$5.65 ₫146.4K

$9.55 ¥63.8

-40.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.8K

$11.71 ¥78.3

-10.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫670.6K

$42.36 ¥283

-38.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.6K

$14.18 ¥94.7

-16.64%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫88.0K

$6.06 ¥40.49

-44.06%

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

$438 ₫11.4M

$333 ¥2,227

31.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫604.4M

$17.1K ¥114.4K

36.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$43.43 ¥290

18.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫896.2K

$29.82 ¥199

15.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$72.8 ¥486

25.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$72.7 ¥486

30.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫15.0M

$283 ¥1,894

103.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$192 ¥1,281

52.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$588 ¥3,929

120.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$366 ¥2,448

95.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.2M

$3,000 ¥20.0K

57.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.8M

$1,998 ¥13.4K

-5.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.89

122.11%

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 Cixi: 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%

Cixi

$192 26.8% 34.4% $100

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Cixi

$199 27.9% 3% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Cixi

$98 13.8% 19.7% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Cixi

$66 9.2% 44.4% $53

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Cixi

$84 11.8% 33% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Cixi

$54 7.6% 66.9% $22

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Cixi

$21 2.9% 25.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $283 in Cixi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $22.00 in Cixi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $199 per month, with Cixi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Cixi

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

14:23 2:23 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,829,488

💱 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 = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 13, 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) Cixi 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Cixi

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 Cixi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cixi wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Cixi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,088 in Cixi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $283 in Cixi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $438 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $333 in Cixi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 3% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $725 in Cixi versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Cixi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Cixi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Cixi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $725 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Cixi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Cixi 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 Cixi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.