Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Quzhou: $679 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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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
34

Cost of Living Index in Quzhou
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Quzhou Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Quzhou

🇨🇳 China

$679

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $679 in Quzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Quzhou $679

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,133 in Quzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Quzhou $1,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,586 in Quzhou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Quzhou $1,586

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

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Quzhou 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.88 ¥19.27

-33.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$30.36 ¥203

-24.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.52 ¥30.22

0.44%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.48 ¥23.27

-46.84%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.48 ¥3.21

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.31 ¥2.07

3.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.07 ¥7.17

-0.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$3.29 ¥21.99

-47.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.76 ¥11.79

-5.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.12 ¥7.46

-0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.68 ¥4.52

47.06%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$1.63 ¥10.88

2.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$15.17 ¥101

-20.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.78 ¥25.26

-2.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$8.84 ¥59.1

15.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$1.08 ¥7.22

174.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.56 ¥10.46

-20.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.50 ¥10.02

4.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.23 ¥8.25

5.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.58 ¥3.90

112.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.71 ¥4.73

61.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.65 ¥4.34

13.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.55 ¥3.65

1.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$4.37 ¥29.22

-71.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$8.08 ¥54.1

55.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.75 ¥5.01

28.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.48 ¥9.88

3.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.29 ¥1.94

-10.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$16.07 ¥107

-28.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.77 ¥11.81

-57.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.37 ¥2.49

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.15 ¥47.80

-57.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.27 ¥8.51

-24.41%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$19.1K ¥127.4K

63.02%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$18.2K ¥121.9K

66.61%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$52.0 ¥347

96.30%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$6.82 ¥45.58

-13.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$8.09 ¥54.1

29.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$37.80 ¥253

-32.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$13.94 ¥93.2

-14.49%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$7.74 ¥51.8

-54.39%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$418 ¥2,798

4.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$15.6K ¥104.5K

49.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$62.2 ¥416

-15.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$27.26 ¥182

25.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$61.0 ¥408

47.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$51.5 ¥345

84.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$286 ¥1,915

105.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$163 ¥1,087

83.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$716 ¥4,788

80.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$368 ¥2,458

93.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,840 ¥25.7K

21.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,738 ¥11.6K

9.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$690 ¥4,615

-29.06%

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 Quzhou: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Quzhou

$163 23.9% 45.4% $135

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Quzhou

$191 28.1% 7.8% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Quzhou

$91 13.4% 25.8% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Quzhou

$67 9.9% 43.5% $52

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Quzhou

$93 13.8% 47.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Quzhou

$53 7.9% 63.4% $21

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Quzhou

$21 3.1% 25.3% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $286 in Quzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Quzhou pays 41% 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 Quzhou. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $191, with Quzhou cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Quzhou

🕒 Local time

19:52 7:52 PM

20:52 8:52 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,122,661

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,997 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Quzhou 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Quzhou

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 Quzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quzhou 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 Quzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Quzhou. 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 $286 in Quzhou. 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 $679 in Quzhou – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Quzhou 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 $679 in Quzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Quzhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Quzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quzhou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $679 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quzhou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Quzhou 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 Quzhou 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.