Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Jilin
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Jilin Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $737 in Jilin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Jilin $737

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,185 in Jilin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Jilin $1,185

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,633 in Jilin.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Jilin $1,633

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 17% more expensive than in Jilin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Jilin 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.96 ¥19.79

-33.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$22.66 ¥152

2.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$5.31 ¥35.51

-10.36%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$3.46 ¥23.12

-46.24%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.45 ¥2.98

13.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.25 ¥1.65

28.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$1.15 ¥7.69

-10.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.26 ¥15.12

-24.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.75 ¥11.67

-9.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.63 ¥10.92

-33.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.93 ¥6.24

12.90%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.68 ¥11.21

-2.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$13.07 ¥87.4

-5.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$3.40 ¥22.75

5.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$11.15 ¥74.6

-5.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$1.80 ¥12.07

65.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.28 ¥8.55

-1.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.57 ¥10.48

3.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.26 ¥8.42

3.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.70 ¥4.68

70.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.96 ¥6.44

18.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.63 ¥4.21

15.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.54 ¥3.62

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.81 ¥25.49

-66.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$11.76 ¥78.6

5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.88 ¥5.92

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.62 ¥10.84

-8.64%

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

$18.27 ¥122

-37.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.08 ¥7.21

-37.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.24 ¥1.59

158.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$7.08 ¥47.35

-57.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.25 ¥8.38

-27.20%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.7K ¥131.7K

55.21%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$17.2K ¥114.9K

70.82%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$56.7 ¥379

83.11%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$8.74 ¥58.4

-33.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$11.28 ¥75.4

-7.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$42.47 ¥284

-38.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$15.22 ¥102

-21.81%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$6.30 ¥42.12

-38.25%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$415 ¥2,774

6.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$17.4K ¥116.6K

37.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$43.23 ¥289

17.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$34.09 ¥228

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$73.9 ¥494

24.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$74.2 ¥496

29.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$297 ¥1,989

95.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$181 ¥1,208

64.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$635 ¥4,248

104.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$377 ¥2,517

93.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$3,419 ¥22.9K

39.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,956 ¥13.1K

-5.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$451 ¥3,018

8.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.36

157.14%

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 Jilin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Jilin

$181 24.5% 39.1% $116

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Jilin

$207 28.2% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Jilin

$101 13.8% 17.9% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Jilin

$77 10.4% 36.1% $43

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Jilin

$94 12.8% 46.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Jilin

$55 7.5% 62.6% $21

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Jilin

$22 2.9% 33.3% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $297 in Jilin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 9% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $23.00 in Jilin. Groceries flip the comparison at $208 vs $207, with Jilin cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Jilin

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,623,713

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Jilin 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Jilin

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 Jilin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jilin wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jilin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $297 in Jilin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $737 in Jilin – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jilin runs roughly 60% 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 $737 in Jilin versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jilin but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jilin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jilin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $737 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jilin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Jilin 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 Jilin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.