Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and in Nanjing: $855 and $841 a month, rent and utilities included.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Learn more

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Nanjing
Learn more

Nanjing Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Nanjing

🇨🇳 China

$841

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $841 in Nanjing.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Nanjing $841

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,339 in Nanjing.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Nanjing $1,339

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,837 in Nanjing.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Nanjing $1,837

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 2% more expensive than in Nanjing, 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, Nanjing 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.2K

$3.67 ¥24.58

-48.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.7K

$22.21 ¥149

5.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫121.0K

$4.97 ¥33.28

-6.04%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.01 ¥20.15

-38.54%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.50 ¥3.32

12.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,860

$0.27 ¥1.81

25.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.45 ¥9.68

-30.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$2.29 ¥15.31

-26.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$2.16 ¥14.48

-26.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.07 ¥13.86

-49.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$0.91 ¥6.08

8.79%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.35 ¥9.04

18.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.7K

$10.64 ¥71.2

14.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.02 ¥20.23

17.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.3K

$8.97 ¥60.0

16.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$2.09 ¥13.98

47.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.28 ¥8.60

-1.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.77 ¥11.88

-11.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.07 ¥7.18

17.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.91 ¥6.09

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$0.90 ¥6.06

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.93 ¥6.25

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.52 ¥3.45

3.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$3.75 ¥25.09

-67.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.9K

$13.34 ¥89.3

-7.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$1.01 ¥6.74

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.6K

$1.56 ¥10.47

-4.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,252

$0.31 ¥2.08

-9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫301.0K

$29.72 ¥199

-60.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.75 ¥11.73

-58.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.41 ¥2.77

56.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$8.91 ¥59.7

-64.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.37 ¥9.15

-30.66%

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

$30.7K ₫795.9M

$19.1K ¥128.0K

60.71%

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

$30.6K ₫791.9M

$16.6K ¥110.8K

84.80%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$53.6 ¥359

90.93%

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

$5.65 ₫146.2K

$7.59 ¥50.8

-25.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.3K

$7.28 ¥48.74

44.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.5K

$28.49 ¥191

-9.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫306.1K

$33.70 ¥226

-64.93%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$5.86 ¥39.21

-42.15%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$1,459 ¥9,769

-70.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.3M

$22.5K ¥150.9K

3.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$43.40 ¥291

18.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.6K

$33.88 ¥227

2.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$65.7 ¥440

38.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$86.9 ¥582

9.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$529 ¥3,541

9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$295 ¥1,977

-1.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$1,115 ¥7,464

15.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$557 ¥3,728

28.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$5,013 ¥33.6K

-5.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$3,140 ¥21.0K

-40.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$1,419 ¥9,500

-65.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.42

152.63%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Last update for Nanjing: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Nanjing

$295 35.1% 1.1% $3.3

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Nanjing

$205 24.4% 0.1% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Nanjing

$103 12.3% 15.6% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Nanjing

$68 8.1% 42.2% $50

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Nanjing

$95 11.3% 50.1% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Nanjing

$40 4.8% 23.2% $7.6

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Nanjing

$35 4.1% 108% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $529 in Nanjing. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nanjing pays 192% 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 $22.00 in Nanjing for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $205 per month, with Nanjing cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Nanjing

🕒 Local time

15:01 3:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

9,314,685

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 CNY = 0.149 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,037 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.149 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Nanjing 2,670 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Nanjing

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 Nanjing: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nanjing wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nanjing the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 192% lower in Nanjing. 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $529 in Nanjing. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $841 in Nanjing – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Nanjing runs roughly 156% 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 $841 in Nanjing versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Nanjing but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Nanjing the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nanjing delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $841 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nanjing hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Nanjing 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 Nanjing gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.