Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mianyang, Sichuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Mianyang, Sichuan: $646 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Mianyang, Sichuan
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Mianyang, Sichuan Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Mianyang, Sichuan

🇨🇳 China

$646

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Mianyang, Sichuan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Mianyang, Sichuan $646

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

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

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,350 in Mianyang, Sichuan.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Mianyang, Sichuan $1,350

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 33% more expensive than in Mianyang, Sichuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Mianyang, Sichuan 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.5K

$2.92 ¥19.51

-34.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫590.9K

$17.81 ¥119

28.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.5K

$4.89 ¥32.70

-7.16%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.97 ¥19.86

-37.71%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.43 ¥2.89

30.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,180

$0.28 ¥1.89

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.46 ¥9.74

-27.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.26 ¥15.09

-23.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.52 ¥10.13

9.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.6K

$1.55 ¥10.33

-28.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.99 ¥6.63

1.01%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.62 ¥10.83

3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.6K

$14.56 ¥97.3

-17.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.1K

$3.66 ¥24.42

0.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫264.9K

$10.95 ¥73.2

-6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.79 ¥11.93

65.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.31 ¥8.77

-5.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.06 ¥7.07

47.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.5K

$1.15 ¥7.66

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$0.71 ¥4.73

73.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.72 ¥4.83

59.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.58 ¥3.88

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.58 ¥3.88

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.71 ¥24.76

-66.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫325.9K

$4.56 ¥30.46

176.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.83 ¥5.57

15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$1.30 ¥8.68

17.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,690

$0.29 ¥1.91

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.7K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.07 ¥7.14

-29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.3K

$0.26 ¥1.74

157.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.58 ¥30.57

-33.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.25 ¥8.38

-23.20%

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

$31.1K ₫803.8M

$19.6K ¥131.2K

58.23%

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

$30.4K ₫785.4M

$17.4K ¥116.3K

74.41%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$47.71 ¥319

113.75%

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

$5.89 ₫152.4K

$6.41 ¥42.80

-8.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.5K

$12.51 ¥83.6

-16.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫660.8K

$17.89 ¥120

42.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.3K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.82 ¥38.89

-39.35%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$366 ¥2,446

19.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.4M

$14.8K ¥98.9K

57.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$24.80 ¥166

112.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫883.6K

$27.86 ¥186

22.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$58.0 ¥388

55.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$53.2 ¥356

78.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$226 ¥1,508

161.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$193 ¥1,291

54.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.4M

$411 ¥2,747

214.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$333 ¥2,226

113.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.0M

$2,710 ¥18.1K

72.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,816 ¥12.1K

4.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$732 ¥4,890

-33.10%

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 10, 2026

Last update for Mianyang, Sichuan: 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%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$193 29.9% 35.1% $105

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$191 29.6% 7.6% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$74 11.4% 39.8% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$67 10.3% 43.7% $52

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$88 13.7% 39.3% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$30 4.6% 9.4% $3.1

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Mianyang, Sichuan

$3.5 * 0.5% 78.9% $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 $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mianyang, Sichuan pays 49% 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 $18.00 in Mianyang, Sichuan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $191 per month, with Mianyang, Sichuan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Mianyang, Sichuan

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,868,243

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 25,872 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 29,017 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Mianyang, Sichuan 2,310 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Mianyang, Sichuan

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 Mianyang, Sichuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mianyang, Sichuan wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mianyang, Sichuan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Mianyang, Sichuan. 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 $226 in Mianyang, Sichuan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% 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 $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $646 in Mianyang, Sichuan versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mianyang, Sichuan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Mianyang, Sichuan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Mianyang, Sichuan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $646 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Mianyang, Sichuan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Mianyang, Sichuan 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 Mianyang, Sichuan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.