Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Heze: $694 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,000 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Heze
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Heze Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Heze

🇨🇳 China

$694

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $694 in Heze, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Heze $694

A couple spends around $1,395 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,076 in Heze, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Heze $1,076

A family of three spends $1,931 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $1,458 in Heze, rent included.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Heze $1,458

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs about 24% more than Heze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Heze are more affordable than the global median – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Heze 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.57 ¥17.19

-25.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$10.85 ¥72.5

110.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.80 ¥32.10

-5.42%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.57 ¥17.18

-28.02%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.46 ¥3.09

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.21 ¥1.40

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.88 ¥5.89

20.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.05 ¥13.70

-16.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.44 ¥9.64

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.47 ¥9.85

-24.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.23 ¥8.23

-18.70%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$1.06 ¥7.09

57.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$11.66 ¥78.0

3.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.35 ¥22.37

9.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$11.26 ¥75.3

-9.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$1.42 ¥9.47

108.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.02 ¥6.81

21.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.37 ¥9.14

13.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.10 ¥7.38

18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.57 ¥3.81

115.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.72 ¥4.82

59.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.58 ¥3.86

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.62 ¥4.13

-9.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.78 ¥25.27

-67.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$9.93 ¥66.4

26.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.68 ¥4.52

41.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.31 ¥8.73

16.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.31 ¥2.05

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$19.56 ¥131

-41.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.02 ¥6.82

-26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.27 ¥1.81

148.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.58 ¥30.62

-33.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.94 ¥6.32

2.13%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$19.6K ¥130.9K

58.67%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$14.8K ¥98.9K

105.22%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$73.8 ¥493

38.22%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$6.86 ¥45.89

-14.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$5.25 ¥35.09

99.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$44.78 ¥299

-42.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$16.66 ¥111

-28.45%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$5.17 ¥34.57

-31.72%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$219 ¥1,468

98.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$19.9K ¥132.8K

17.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$34.41 ¥230

53.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$42.30 ¥283

-19.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$58.8 ¥393

53.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$51.8 ¥346

83.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$302 ¥2,017

95.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$182 ¥1,219

63.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$622 ¥4,157

107.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$369 ¥2,470

92.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,496 ¥23.4K

33.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,956 ¥13.1K

-2.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$602 ¥4,025

-18.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.13

176.04%

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 Heze: 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%

Heze

$182 26.3% 38.8% $116

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Heze

$187 26.9% 9.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Heze

$84 12.1% 31.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Heze

$86 12.4% 27.4% $32

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Heze

$77 11.1% 21.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Heze

$55 7.9% 69.1% $23

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Heze

$23 3.3% 39.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $302 in Heze. 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 23% higher in Heze, 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 $11.00 in Heze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $187 – making Heze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Heze

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

8,795,939

💱 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 = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,990 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Heze 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Heze

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 Heze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), $694 in Heze – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,288 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,042 in Heze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Heze, 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 $11.00 in Heze. 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 $694 in Heze. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Heze, where all-in costs run around $694, than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at $859. In Heze it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $694 in Heze to $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Heze. 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.