Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Hanzhong: $692 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Hanzhong
Learn more

Hanzhong Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Hanzhong

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $692 in Hanzhong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Hanzhong $692

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,110 in Hanzhong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Hanzhong $1,110

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,527 in Hanzhong.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Hanzhong $1,527

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 25% more expensive than in Hanzhong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Hanzhong 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.75 ¥18.38

-28.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$18.25 ¥122

26.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.53 ¥30.27

5.08%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.18 ¥14.55

-14.68%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.40 ¥2.70

27.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.26 ¥1.74

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.53 ¥10.21

-32.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.52 ¥10.19

12.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.45 ¥9.68

8.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.67 ¥11.17

-34.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.91 ¥6.10

15.38%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.43 ¥9.53

14.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$11.80 ¥78.9

4.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$4.17 ¥27.85

-14.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$10.31 ¥69.0

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$1.68 ¥11.23

76.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.10 ¥7.35

14.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.28 ¥8.55

26.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.27 ¥8.52

3.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.65 ¥4.31

83.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.71 ¥4.72

60.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.63 ¥4.19

15.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.59 ¥3.96

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.44 ¥22.99

-62.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$9.81 ¥65.6

27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.78 ¥5.18

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.75 ¥11.71

-15.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.29 ¥1.91

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$18.20 ¥122

-37.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.24 ¥8.27

-45.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.29 ¥1.91

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$4.58 ¥30.62

-34.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.26 ¥8.46

-27.78%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

59.70%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

65.30%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$41.30 ¥276

151.26%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$5.82 ¥38.95

-0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$10.63 ¥71.1

-1.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$40.88 ¥273

-36.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$14.70 ¥98.3

-19.05%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.10 ¥34.07

-23.73%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$703 ¥4,703

-37.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

40.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$38.35 ¥256

32.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$37.56 ¥251

-6.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$73.8 ¥494

24.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$92.3 ¥617

4.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$293 ¥1,958

98.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$184 ¥1,227

61.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$637 ¥4,260

103.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$375 ¥2,506

93.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$3,538 ¥23.7K

35.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,918 ¥12.8K

-3.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$588 ¥3,929

-16.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.1

178.71%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Last update for Hanzhong: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Hanzhong

$184 26.5% 38.1% $113

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Hanzhong

$194 28% 6.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Hanzhong

$109 15.7% 11.9% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Hanzhong

$58 8.3% 51.9% $62

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Hanzhong

$75 10.8% 16.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Hanzhong

$51 7.4% 50.9% $17

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Hanzhong

$22 3.2% 35.4% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $293 in Hanzhong. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hanzhong pays 20% 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 $18.00 in Hanzhong for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $194 per month, with Hanzhong cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Hanzhong

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

05:36 5:36 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,416,196

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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) Hanzhong 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Hanzhong

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 Hanzhong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hanzhong wins on cost – living expenses run 25% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Hanzhong the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 20% lower in Hanzhong. 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: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $293 in Hanzhong. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $440 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $703 in Hanzhong. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $692 in Hanzhong versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hanzhong but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Hanzhong the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Hanzhong delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Hanzhong hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Hanzhong 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 Hanzhong gentler on the wallet – expenses run 25% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.