Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaifeng: $499 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kaifeng
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Kaifeng Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Kaifeng

🇨🇳 China

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $499 in Kaifeng.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Kaifeng $499

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $789 in Kaifeng.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Kaifeng $789

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,079 in Kaifeng.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Kaifeng $1,079

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 73% more expensive than in Kaifeng, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Kaifeng 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$1.81 ¥12.09

9.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$13.66 ¥91.3

69.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.21 ¥28.12

13.06%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.29 ¥15.32

-18.78%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.36 ¥2.40

41.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.14 ¥0.93

128.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.86 ¥5.77

19.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$1.51 ¥10.12

13.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.49 ¥9.95

6.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.47 ¥9.82

-25.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.82 ¥5.48

28.05%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$0.90 ¥6.04

82.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$6.80 ¥45.47

81.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.33 ¥15.59

53.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$9.70 ¥64.9

8.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$0.88 ¥5.91

237.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.00 ¥6.71

26.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$0.62 ¥4.15

161.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$0.60 ¥3.99

118.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.61 ¥4.08

95.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.68 ¥4.58

67.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.23 ¥1.54

217.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.55 ¥3.69

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.01 ¥20.16

-57.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$15.03 ¥101

-17.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.93 ¥6.20

3.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$2.07 ¥13.85

-28.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.17 ¥1.15

52.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.22 ¥8.15

-44.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.16 ¥1.09

287.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$3.56 ¥23.80

-15.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.27 ¥8.47

-28.35%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.8K ¥132.4K

54.38%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$15.2K ¥101.4K

93.65%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$44.64 ¥298

132.46%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$4.64 ¥31.03

24.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$5.17 ¥34.56

102.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$29.59 ¥198

-11.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$10.29 ¥68.8

15.65%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$3.75 ¥25.09

3.73%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$387 ¥2,587

13.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$30.1K ¥201.4K

-20.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$44.03 ¥294

15.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$33.40 ¥223

5.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$71.5 ¥478

28.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$44.02 ¥294

119.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$121 ¥810

380.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$90.9 ¥608

226.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$223 ¥1,488

483.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$182 ¥1,215

300.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$571 ¥3,820

-14.23%

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 Kaifeng: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Kaifeng

$91 18.2% 69.4% $206

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Kaifeng

$163 32.7% 21.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Kaifeng

$87 17.4% 29.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Kaifeng

$54 10.9% 54.6% $66

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Kaifeng

$64 12.8% 0.7% $0.4

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Kaifeng

$37 7.4% 9.6% $3.2

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Kaifeng

$2.7 * 0.6% 83.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $121 in Kaifeng. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kaifeng pays 17% 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 $14.00 in Kaifeng for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $163 per month, with Kaifeng cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Kaifeng

🕒 Local time

18:11 6:11 PM

19:11 7:11 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,676,159

💱 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) Kaifeng 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Kaifeng

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 Kaifeng: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaifeng wins on cost – living expenses run 73% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaifeng the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 17% lower in Kaifeng. 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 $121 in Kaifeng. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $499 in Kaifeng – a 73% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $499 in Kaifeng versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaifeng but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Kaifeng the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kaifeng delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $499 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaifeng hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Kaifeng 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 Kaifeng gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.