Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jieyang: $676 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Jieyang
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Jieyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Jieyang

🇨🇳 China

$676

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $676 in Jieyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Jieyang $676

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,075 in Jieyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Jieyang $1,075

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,475 in Jieyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Jieyang $1,475

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 27% more expensive than in Jieyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Jieyang 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.14 ¥14.34

-10.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$12.92 ¥86.4

76.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$3.85 ¥25.75

17.92%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.43 ¥16.25

-23.87%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.46 ¥3.10

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.35 ¥2.34

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.94 ¥6.31

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.81 ¥12.11

-4.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.51 ¥10.12

9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.38 ¥15.91

-53.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.99 ¥6.62

1.01%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$0.88 ¥5.90

89.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$12.08 ¥80.8

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.45 ¥16.37

50.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$11.54 ¥77.2

-11.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$2.03 ¥13.60

45.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.67 ¥4.49

85.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$0.96 ¥6.44

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.99 ¥13.32

-34.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.99 ¥6.61

24.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$1.81 ¥12.11

-36.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.43 ¥2.88

72.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 ¥3.61

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$2.95 ¥19.71

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$11.03 ¥73.8

14.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.80 ¥5.34

20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.70 ¥11.35

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.29 ¥1.94

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$16.09 ¥108

-28.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.87 ¥5.79

-13.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.14 ¥0.96

378.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.97 ¥46.59

-56.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.93 ¥6.24

3.23%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$12.7K ¥84.9K

144.77%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$11.3K ¥75.7K

168.29%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$43.06 ¥288

136.83%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$8.45 ¥56.5

-30.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$11.23 ¥75.1

-6.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$42.07 ¥281

-39.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$14.26 ¥95.4

-16.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$6.05 ¥40.48

-41.65%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$501 ¥3,353

-12.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$24.2K ¥161.8K

-3.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$21.08 ¥141

150.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$29.05 ¥194

17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$60.0 ¥401

50.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$86.2 ¥576

10.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$300 ¥2,004

96.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$180 ¥1,205

65.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$619 ¥4,141

108.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$382 ¥2,557

85.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,517 ¥23.5K

32.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,943 ¥13.0K

-2.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,095 ¥7,326

-55.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.46

149.71%

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 Jieyang: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Jieyang

$180 26.7% 39.5% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Jieyang

$202 29.9% 2.6% $5.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Jieyang

$88 13.1% 27.9% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Jieyang

$63 9.3% 47% $56

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Jieyang

$69 10.3% 9.4% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Jieyang

$54 8% 66.2% $22

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Jieyang

$19 2.8% 13.1% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $300 in Jieyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jieyang pays 124% 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 $13.00 in Jieyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $202 per month, with Jieyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Jieyang

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

5,877,025

💱 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 = 28,997 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Jieyang 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Jieyang

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 Jieyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jieyang wins on cost – living expenses run 27% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jieyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 124% lower in Jieyang. 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 $300 in Jieyang. 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 $676 in Jieyang – a 27% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jieyang runs roughly 40% 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 $676 in Jieyang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jieyang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jieyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jieyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $676 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jieyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jieyang 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 Jieyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.