Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ningbo: $682 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

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

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Ningbo
Learn more

Ningbo Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Ningbo

🇨🇳 China

$682

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $682 in Ningbo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Ningbo $682

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,177 in Ningbo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Ningbo $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,672 in Ningbo.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Ningbo $1,672

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 26% more expensive than in Ningbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Ningbo 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.91 ¥19.46

-34.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$29.60 ¥198

-22.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.58 ¥30.62

-0.87%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.43 ¥22.93

-46.06%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.47 ¥3.16

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.29 ¥1.92

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.04 ¥6.93

1.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.45 ¥23.04

-50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.78 ¥11.88

-6.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.16 ¥7.78

-4.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.73 ¥4.86

36.99%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.62 ¥10.86

3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$14.79 ¥98.9

-18.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.81 ¥25.45

-3.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$8.83 ¥59.1

15.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.07 ¥7.18

176.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.52 ¥10.16

-18.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.50 ¥10.06

4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.18 ¥7.88

10.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.63 ¥4.21

95.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.75 ¥4.99

53.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.64 ¥4.27

15.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.54 ¥3.59

3.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$4.39 ¥29.33

-71.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$8.00 ¥53.5

57.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.75 ¥5.04

28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.42 ¥9.51

7.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.29 ¥1.93

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$16.16 ¥108

-28.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.76 ¥11.78

-57.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.37 ¥2.49

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.37 ¥49.29

-58.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.28 ¥8.54

-25.00%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.6K ¥131.4K

58.12%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$17.7K ¥118.0K

71.96%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$51.9 ¥347

96.46%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.85 ¥45.78

-14.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$7.93 ¥53.0

32.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$25.07 ¥168

1.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$14.69 ¥98.2

-18.86%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.71 ¥51.6

-54.22%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$929 ¥6,209

-53.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$15.8K ¥105.8K

47.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$62.5 ¥418

-15.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$27.09 ¥181

26.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$62.0 ¥414

45.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$52.4 ¥350

81.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$358 ¥2,392

64.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$179 ¥1,198

66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$772 ¥5,162

67.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$482 ¥3,223

47.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,861 ¥25.8K

21.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$2,097 ¥14.0K

-9.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,180 ¥7,892

-58.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.18

171.70%

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 Ningbo: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Ningbo

$179 26.3% 39.9% $119

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Ningbo

$190 27.9% 8.3% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Ningbo

$92 13.5% 25.1% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Ningbo

$67 9.8% 43.7% $52

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Ningbo

$93 13.7% 47% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Ningbo

$41 5.9% 24.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Ningbo

$21 3.1% 25.7% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $358 in Ningbo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ningbo pays 141% 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 $30.00 in Ningbo. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $190, with Ningbo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Ningbo

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

7,605,689

💱 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 19, 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 19, 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) Ningbo 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Ningbo

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 Ningbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ningbo wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Ningbo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 141% lower in Ningbo. 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 $358 in Ningbo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $682 in Ningbo – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Ningbo runs roughly 40% 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 $682 in Ningbo versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ningbo but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Ningbo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ningbo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $682 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ningbo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Ningbo 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 Ningbo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.