Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Handan: $638 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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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
32

Cost of Living Index in Handan
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Handan Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Handan

🇨🇳 China

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $638 in Handan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Handan $638

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,053 in Handan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Handan $1,053

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,468 in Handan, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Handan $1,468

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 35% more than Handan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Handan are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Handan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$1.92 ¥12.81

-0.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$18.14 ¥121

25.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.56 ¥30.51

-0.44%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.56 ¥17.14

-27.73%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.39 ¥2.63

43.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.21 ¥1.40

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.74 ¥4.94

43.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.48 ¥9.89

16.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.45 ¥9.67

14.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$0.78 ¥5.23

42.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.73 ¥4.89

36.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$0.97 ¥6.49

72.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$11.87 ¥79.3

1.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.92 ¥19.50

26.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$11.03 ¥73.8

-7.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.44 ¥9.64

105.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.58 ¥3.90

113.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.36 ¥9.08

14.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.09 ¥7.32

19.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.29 ¥1.91

324.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.31 ¥2.08

270.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.53 ¥3.53

39.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.36 ¥2.39

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.71 ¥24.81

-66.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$9.95 ¥66.5

26.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.68 ¥4.54

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.36 ¥9.12

12.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$17.97 ¥120

-35.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.86 ¥5.75

-12.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.25 ¥1.67

168.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.50 ¥30.08

-32.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.32 ¥8.80

-27.27%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.2K ¥128.7K

61.39%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$15.2K ¥101.7K

99.61%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$71.1 ¥475

43.43%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$4.35 ¥29.10

35.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$4.97 ¥33.26

111.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$41.70 ¥279

-38.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$13.39 ¥89.6

-10.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$4.37 ¥29.24

-19.22%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$215 ¥1,439

102.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$19.6K ¥131.3K

18.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.42 ¥197

79.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$43.23 ¥289

-21.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$44.86 ¥300

101.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$69.3 ¥463

37.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$337 ¥2,254

74.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$165 ¥1,105

80.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$625 ¥4,181

106.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$427 ¥2,857

66.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,556 ¥23.8K

31.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,875 ¥12.5K

1.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$656 ¥4,389

-25.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

188.00%

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 Handan: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Handan

$165 25.9% 44.5% $132

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Handan

$168 26.3% 19% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Handan

$84 13.2% 31.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Handan

$80 12.6% 32% $38

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Handan

$69 10.8% 8.5% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Handan

$50 7.9% 54.7% $18

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Handan

$21 3.3% 28% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $337 in Handan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 34% higher in Handan, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $18.00 in Handan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $168 – making Handan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Handan

🕒 Local time

23:10 11:10 PM

00:10 12:10 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

9,413,990

💱 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 = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Handan 2,980 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Handan

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 Handan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is pricier by about 35%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $957 in Handan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Handan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $18.00 in Handan. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $638 in Handan. That's a gap of about 35%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Handan, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Handan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Handan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Handan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.