Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $518 in Putian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $854 in Putian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,190 in Putian.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
Putian $1,190

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 66% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ₫51.3K

$2.21 ¥14.79

-10.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.14 ₫599.0K

$23.26 ¥156

-0.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.76 ₫123.2K

$5.17 ¥34.57

-7.93%

Cappuccino

$1.86 ₫48.1K

$2.44 ¥16.32

-23.77%

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

$0.51 ₫13.3K

$0.43 ¥2.88

18.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,191

$0.29 ¥1.92

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 ₫26.7K

$0.77 ¥5.16

33.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ₫44.4K

$2.93 ¥19.58

-41.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.47 ¥9.82

7.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 ₫28.3K

$2.25 ¥15.07

-51.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.05 ₫27.2K

$0.93 ¥6.19

12.90%

Eggs

$1.64 ₫42.6K

$1.58 ¥10.58

3.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.33 ₫319.2K

$11.73 ¥78.4

5.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.58 ₫92.6K

$2.43 ¥16.22

47.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.56 ₫273.3K

$12.18 ¥81.4

-13.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 ₫76.9K

$2.55 ¥17.03

16.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.42 ¥9.49

-11.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 ₫42.0K

$1.70 ¥11.34

-4.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 ₫33.8K

$1.98 ¥13.25

-33.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 ₫30.8K

$1.02 ¥6.79

16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.6K

$1.77 ¥11.86

-35.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.8K

$0.93 ¥6.19

-21.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.50 ¥3.36

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 ₫33.0K

$3.04 ¥20.31

-57.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₫322.5K

$11.18 ¥74.8

11.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.83 ¥5.58

15.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₫38.3K

$1.71 ¥11.44

-13.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,704

$0.74 ¥4.92

-64.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.43 ₫296.0K

$22.38 ¥150

-48.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.68 ₫17.7K

$1.52 ¥10.16

-55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ₫16.1K

$0.29 ¥1.94

113.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.00 ₫77.7K

$7.02 ¥46.94

-57.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₫23.5K

$1.31 ¥8.76

-30.53%

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

$30.6K ₫791.4M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

57.46%

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

$29.4K ₫760.1M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

65.25%

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

$104 ₫2.7M

$44.03 ¥294

135.68%

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

$5.79 ₫149.9K

$8.87 ¥59.3

-34.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.48 ₫271.3K

$10.55 ¥70.6

-0.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₫675.1K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.90 ₫308.1K

Cinema Ticket

$3.89 ₫100.7K

$10.08 ¥67.4

-61.41%

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

$440 ₫11.4M

$492 ¥3,286

-10.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ₫622.7M

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-1.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 ₫1.3M

$39.10 ¥261

30.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.18 ₫910.8K

$29.11 ¥195

20.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.1 ₫2.4M

$103 ¥691

-10.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 ₫2.5M

$85.7 ¥573

12.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$582 ₫15.1M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 ₫7.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 ₫33.6M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 ₫18.8M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

$2,637 ¥17.6K

81.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

$1,115 ¥7,452

66.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$480 ¥3,211

2.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.46

149.71%

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 Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1%

Putian

$215 41.6% 3.7% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3%

Putian

$116 22.4% 6.3% $7.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9%

Putian

$63 12.3% 47.1% $57

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5%

Putian

$75 14.5% 16.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 40.5% $14

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9%

Putian

$28 5.5% 74% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 2% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $215 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,954,000

💱 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) Putian 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Putian

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 Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Putian the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 2% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $518 in Putian – a 66% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Putian runs roughly 96% 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 $518 in Putian versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Putian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Putian delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $518 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Putian hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Putian 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 Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 66% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.