Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Guizhou: $598 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Guizhou
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Guizhou Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Guizhou

🇨🇳 China

$598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $598 in Guizhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Guizhou $598

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $964 in Guizhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Guizhou $964

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,329 in Guizhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Guizhou $1,329

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 44% more expensive than in Guizhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Guizhou 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.66 ¥17.78

-28.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$21.16 ¥141

7.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.83 ¥38.92

-22.13%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.89 ¥19.31

-35.99%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.50 ¥3.32

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.27 ¥1.81

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.78 ¥5.19

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.85 ¥12.33

-7.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.80 ¥12.01

-7.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.69 ¥11.28

-34.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.79 ¥5.30

26.58%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.98 ¥13.21

-15.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$7.27 ¥48.55

66.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$4.56 ¥30.46

-19.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$10.96 ¥73.2

-6.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.10 ¥14.00

40.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.62 ¥10.81

-23.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.58 ¥10.54

-1.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.41 ¥9.40

-7.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.69 ¥4.59

78.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.78 ¥5.23

47.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.36 ¥2.40

105.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.58 ¥3.86

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.02 ¥20.17

-58.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.62 ¥50.9

65.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.85 ¥5.64

12.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.16 ¥7.78

31.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.35 ¥2.37

-25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$27.28 ¥182

-57.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.52 ¥10.14

-50.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.31 ¥2.07

116.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$5.09 ¥33.99

-40.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.28 ¥8.56

-25.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$18.5K ¥123.7K

67.72%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$15.6K ¥104.3K

94.39%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$28.58 ¥191

256.82%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.52 ¥43.54

-9.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$5.96 ¥39.77

76.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$22.00 ¥147

16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$12.13 ¥81.0

-1.73%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.30 ¥48.71

-51.64%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$244 ¥1,631

78.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$11.1K ¥74.4K

109.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$33.87 ¥226

55.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$22.23 ¥148

53.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$73.8 ¥493

22.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$41.91 ¥280

126.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$267 ¥1,785

120.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$137 ¥912

118.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$385 ¥2,572

235.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$241 ¥1,609

194.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$1,816 ¥12.1K

157.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,106 ¥7,386

72.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$682 ¥4,550

-28.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.4

154.12%

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 Guizhou: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Guizhou

$137 22.8% 54.2% $161

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Guizhou

$191 31.9% 7.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Guizhou

$77 12.9% 36.9% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Guizhou

$41 6.9% 65.3% $77

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Guizhou

$84 14.1% 32.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Guizhou

$37 6.1% 12.2% $4

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Guizhou

$32 5.3% 90.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $267 in Guizhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Guizhou pays 39% 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 $21.00 in Guizhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $191 per month, with Guizhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Guizhou

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

18:43 6:43 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Guizhou 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Guizhou

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 Guizhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Guizhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 44% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Guizhou. 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 $267 in Guizhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Guizhou runs roughly 137% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $436 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $244 in Guizhou. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $598 in Guizhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Guizhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Guizhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Guizhou 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 Guizhou 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 Guizhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 44% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.