Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jiangmen: $513 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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
25

Cost of Living Index in Jiangmen
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Jiangmen Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Jiangmen

🇨🇳 China

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $513 in Jiangmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Jiangmen $513

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $998 in Jiangmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Jiangmen $998

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,483 in Jiangmen.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Jiangmen $1,483

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 67% more expensive than in Jiangmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Jiangmen 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.29 ¥21.97

-41.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$30.07 ¥201

-24.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.31 ¥35.49

-14.50%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.30 ¥15.38

-19.57%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.43 ¥2.87

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.31 ¥2.08

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.91 ¥6.09

16.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.46 ¥9.79

17.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.60 ¥10.71

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.63 ¥10.89

-31.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.07 ¥7.12

-6.54%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.77 ¥11.86

-5.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$21.48 ¥144

-43.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.28 ¥15.27

61.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$13.38 ¥89.5

-23.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$2.16 ¥14.47

37.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.89 ¥5.94

39.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.17 ¥7.80

33.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.43 ¥9.57

-9.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.64 ¥4.28

92.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.93 ¥6.25

23.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.29 ¥1.93

155.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ¥3.65

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.06 ¥20.45

-59.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$12.19 ¥81.5

3.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.69 ¥4.63

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.76 ¥11.74

-13.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.44 ¥2.93

-40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.41 ¥9.41

-46.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.39 ¥2.60

71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.09 ¥47.43

-57.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.34 ¥8.97

-28.36%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.8K ¥132.2K

57.10%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.5K ¥110.5K

83.67%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$49.45 ¥331

106.23%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$8.60 ¥57.5

-31.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$12.27 ¥82.1

-14.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$30.28 ¥202

-15.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$4.51 ¥30.19

164.30%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$6.49 ¥43.40

-45.61%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$251 ¥1,676

74.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$7,533 ¥50.4K

209.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$30.21 ¥202

74.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$39.86 ¥266

-14.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$72.5 ¥485

24.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$44.20 ¥296

114.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$444 ¥2,968

191.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$273 ¥1,826

160.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$6,098 ¥40.8K

-23.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,223 ¥8,178

55.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$592 ¥3,957

-17.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.35

157.91%

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 Jiangmen: 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%

Jiangmen

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Jiangmen

$230 44.9% 11.2% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Jiangmen

$84 16.4% 31.4% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Jiangmen

$70 13.7% 40.6% $48

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Jiangmen

$80 15.6% 26.5% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Jiangmen

$43 8.4% 32.7% $11

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Jiangmen

$5.1 * 1% 69.4% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Jiangmen pays 21% 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 $30.00 in Jiangmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $230 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Jiangmen

🕒 Local time

06:59 6:59 AM

07:59 7:59 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,448,871

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Jiangmen 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Jiangmen

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 Jiangmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jiangmen wins on cost – living expenses run 67% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jiangmen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 21% lower in Jiangmen. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Shoppers in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pay roughly 11% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $513 in Jiangmen – a 67% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $513 in Jiangmen versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Jiangmen but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jiangmen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jiangmen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $513 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jiangmen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jiangmen 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 Jiangmen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.