Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Linyi: $590 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Linyi
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Linyi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Linyi

🇨🇳 China

$590

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $590 in Linyi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Linyi $590

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $946 in Linyi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Linyi $946

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,302 in Linyi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Linyi $1,302

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 45% more expensive than in Linyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Linyi 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.36 ¥15.80

-16.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$25.10 ¥168

-7.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$4.80 ¥32.08

-0.83%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.74 ¥18.35

-32.12%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.44 ¥2.93

15.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.21 ¥1.40

52.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.88 ¥5.90

17.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.01 ¥13.41

-14.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.46 ¥9.75

8.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$1.38 ¥9.21

-21.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.39 ¥2.61

169.23%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.11 ¥7.40

47.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$9.32 ¥62.3

32.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$1.81 ¥12.12

97.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$11.26 ¥75.3

-6.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$1.12 ¥7.52

165.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.01 ¥6.73

24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.02 ¥6.84

58.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.00 ¥6.66

31.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$0.43 ¥2.86

176.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$0.41 ¥2.74

178.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.53 ¥3.57

37.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.61 ¥4.10

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$4.59 ¥30.69

-72.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$10.09 ¥67.5

23.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.70 ¥4.71

37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.34 ¥8.95

10.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.31 ¥2.08

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.07 ¥7.13

-36.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.27 ¥1.81

129.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$4.36 ¥29.16

-31.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.12 ¥7.48

-18.75%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$16.6K ¥111.0K

84.08%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$15.0K ¥100.5K

95.31%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$73.5 ¥491

41.26%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$4.77 ¥31.86

21.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$5.15 ¥34.40

103.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

$55.3 ¥370

-52.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

$26.44 ¥177

-54.99%

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$5.27 ¥35.22

-26.19%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$219 ¥1,463

101.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$10.5K ¥69.9K

130.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$22.78 ¥152

123.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$22.86 ¥153

53.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$70.1 ¥469

31.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$69.3 ¥463

39.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

$207 ¥1,384

181.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

$113 ¥757

162.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

$492 ¥3,293

163.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

$210 ¥1,407

245.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$1,479 ¥9,888

223.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$999 ¥6,680

85.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$801 ¥5,353

-38.80%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Linyi: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Linyi

$113 19.2% 61.8% $183

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Linyi

$164 27.8% 21.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Linyi

$83 14.1% 32.7% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Linyi

$83 14.1% 30.5% $37

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Linyi

$77 13.1% 20.1% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Linyi

$66 11.2% 94.4% $32

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Linyi

$3.7 * 0.6% 77.5% $13

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 $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $207 in Linyi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Linyi pays 64% 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 $25.00 in Linyi. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $164, with Linyi cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Linyi

🕒 Local time

16:57 4:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,710,000

💱 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) Linyi 2,950 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Linyi

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 Linyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Linyi wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Linyi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 64% lower in Linyi. 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 $207 in Linyi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% 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 $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $590 in Linyi – a 45% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $590 in Linyi versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Linyi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Linyi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Linyi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $590 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Linyi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Linyi 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 Linyi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.