Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Dalian: $855 and $895 a month, rent and utilities included.

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 Dalian
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Dalian Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Dalian

🇨🇳 China

$895

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $895 in Dalian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Dalian $895

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,433 in Dalian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Dalian $1,433

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,970 in Dalian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Dalian $1,970

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 4% less than in Dalian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Dalian 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$3.63 ¥24.25

-47.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$24.88 ¥166

-6.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$5.12 ¥34.24

-8.79%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$3.30 ¥22.04

-43.94%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ¥3.30

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.25 ¥1.67

36.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$0.92 ¥6.17

9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$1.53 ¥10.23

10.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.59 ¥10.63

-0.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$1.42 ¥9.52

-26.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.02 ¥6.80

-2.94%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.59 ¥10.61

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$20.36 ¥136

-39.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.46 ¥23.10

2.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$13.05 ¥87.2

-20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$1.31 ¥8.74

135.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.13 ¥7.52

11.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.93 ¥12.90

-18.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$0.89 ¥5.96

41.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.82 ¥5.50

42.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$0.71 ¥4.77

61.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$1.35 ¥9.00

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.62 ¥4.16

-12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.75 ¥25.08

-67.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$14.55 ¥97.2

-15.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.10 ¥7.32

-10.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$1.93 ¥12.92

-22.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.31 ¥2.10

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$30.05 ¥201

-61.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.53 ¥10.23

-52.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.43 ¥2.87

48.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$3.98 ¥26.60

-20.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.26 ¥8.43

-24.60%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$19.6K ¥130.8K

57.10%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$17.5K ¥117.0K

74.74%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$63.8 ¥426

60.47%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$9.13 ¥61.0

-38.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$13.34 ¥89.1

-21.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$40.35 ¥270

-35.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$36.04 ¥241

-67.20%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$6.85 ¥45.75

-50.51%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$393 ¥2,627

11.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$20.6K ¥137.9K

12.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$75.4 ¥504

-31.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$54.9 ¥367

-37.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$114 ¥762

-19.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$117 ¥784

-19.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$402 ¥2,684

43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$244 ¥1,628

19.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$702 ¥4,688

84.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$445 ¥2,971

61.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$2,684 ¥17.9K

75.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,585 ¥10.6K

18.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$1,090 ¥7,287

-55.45%

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 Dalian: 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%

Dalian

$244 26.6% 16.6% $48

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Dalian

$239 26.1% 16.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Dalian

$163 17.8% 32.8% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Dalian

$86 9.4% 27.2% $32

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Dalian

$95 10.3% 49.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Dalian

$54 5.9% 65.6% $21

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Dalian

$35 3.8% 110% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $402 in Dalian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dalian pays 124% 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 $25.00 in Dalian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $239 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Dalian

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

16:52 4:52 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

7,450,785

💱 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 = 0.133 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,025 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 = 7.5 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Dalian 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Dalian

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 Dalian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Dalian differ by about 5% in total monthly costs ($855 vs $895 including rent). Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 124% lower in Dalian. 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 $402 in Dalian. 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 $393 in Dalian. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Dalian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $895 in Dalian, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Dalian. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Dalian 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 5% less than in Dalian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.