Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Haikou: $806 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Haikou
Learn more

Haikou Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Haikou

🇨🇳 China

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $806 in Haikou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Haikou $806

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,152 in Haikou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Haikou $1,152

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,497 in Haikou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Haikou $1,497

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 7% more expensive than in Haikou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Haikou 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.40 ¥29.45

-56.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$14.72 ¥98.4

55.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$6.02 ¥40.26

-24.58%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.43 ¥16.25

-23.87%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.86 ¥5.74

-34.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.34 ¥2.27

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.51 ¥10.06

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.72 ¥18.18

-36.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.13 ¥14.26

-22.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.48 ¥9.90

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.66 ¥4.40

51.52%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.36 ¥9.07

22.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.92 ¥26.23

-6.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$15.42 ¥103

-33.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.69 ¥11.30

75.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.87 ¥5.80

42.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.11 ¥7.40

40.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$0.93 ¥6.24

39.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.89 ¥5.95

38.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.73 ¥4.85

57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.47 ¥3.12

57.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.57 ¥3.83

-1.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.09 ¥20.68

-59.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.76 ¥58.6

43.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.57 ¥3.84

68.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.23 ¥8.23

24.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.92 ¥6.17

-71.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$53.3 ¥356

-78.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$2.19 ¥14.66

-65.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.43 ¥2.86

55.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.22 ¥8.15

-21.31%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$35.41 ¥237

188.00%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$13.21 ¥88.3

-55.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$13.38 ¥89.4

-21.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$45.67 ¥305

-44.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$6.33 ¥42.35

88.31%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.50 ¥30.10

-21.56%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$862 ¥5,762

-49.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$19.5K ¥130.4K

19.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$27.00 ¥181

95.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$34.89 ¥233

-2.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$44.76 ¥299

101.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$37.57 ¥251

152.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$377 ¥2,523

56.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$294 ¥1,966

1.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$570 ¥3,808

126.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$369 ¥2,469

92.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,154 ¥21.1K

48.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$2,183 ¥14.6K

-12.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$727 ¥4,859

-32.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.85

124.42%

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 Haikou: 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%

Haikou

$294 36.5% 1.3% $3.7

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Haikou

$169 * 20.9% 18.7% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Haikou

$65 8.1% 47% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Haikou

$62 7.7% 47.6% $56

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Haikou

$100 12.4% 57.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Haikou

$55 6.8% 67.7% $22

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Haikou

$61 7.6% 268% $45

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $377 in Haikou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Haikou pays 48% 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 $15.00 in Haikou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $169 per month, with Haikou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Haikou

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

01:42 1:42 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,873,358

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,108 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 17, 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) Haikou 1,100 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Haikou

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 Haikou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Haikou differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($859 vs $806 including rent). Haikou is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 48% lower in Haikou. 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 $377 in Haikou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $806 in Haikou – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Haikou runs roughly 363% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $806 in Haikou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Haikou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Haikou 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 Haikou 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 Haikou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.