Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
Learn more

Shenyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $718 in Shenyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Shenyang $718

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,071 in Shenyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Shenyang $1,071

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,424 in Shenyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Shenyang $1,424

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 20% more expensive than in Shenyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Shenyang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.00 ¥20.07

-36.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$22.24 ¥149

2.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.08 ¥33.98

-10.63%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.46 ¥16.45

-24.80%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.47 ¥3.17

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.38 ¥2.54

-15.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.87 ¥5.79

21.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.82 ¥12.16

-5.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.89 ¥12.67

-12.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.46 ¥16.46

-54.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.08 ¥7.19

-7.41%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.03 ¥6.88

62.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$11.99 ¥80.2

-14.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.78 ¥11.91

66.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.19 ¥7.94

4.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.53 ¥10.23

-15.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.61 ¥4.08

21.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.64 ¥4.27

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.77 ¥25.17

-67.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$16.53 ¥111

-23.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.66 ¥4.40

45.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.09 ¥7.27

40.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.38 ¥2.57

-31.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$12.91 ¥86.3

-10.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.35 ¥9.04

-44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.31 ¥2.10

116.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$2.96 ¥19.78

2.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.29 ¥8.65

-25.58%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

62.72%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$18.3K ¥122.5K

65.75%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$75.4 ¥504

35.29%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$15.87 ¥106

-62.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$14.87 ¥99.4

-29.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$22.27 ¥149

14.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$10.79 ¥72.1

10.47%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$6.09 ¥40.75

-42.04%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$539 ¥3,606

-19.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$21.3K ¥142.1K

9.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$42.49 ¥284

24.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$59.5 ¥398

51.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$69.5 ¥465

36.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$277 ¥1,850

113.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$242 ¥1,619

23.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$558 ¥3,734

131.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$393 ¥2,625

81.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$2,272 ¥15.2K

105.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,308 ¥8,745

45.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,115 ¥7,454

-56.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

4.37

97.71%

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 Shenyang: 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%

Shenyang

$242 33.7% 18.7% $56

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3% 22.7% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8% 37% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Shenyang

$106 14.8% 10.3% $12

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Shenyang

$80 11.2% 26.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Shenyang

$34 4.8% 5.7% $1.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Shenyang

$17 2.4% 4.3% $0.7

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 $277 in Shenyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenyang pays 128% 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 Shenyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $160 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

00:04 12:04 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

9,199,601

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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) Shenyang 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Shenyang

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 Shenyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Shenyang wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shenyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 128% lower in Shenyang. 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 $277 in Shenyang. 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 $718 in Shenyang – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shenyang runs roughly 12% 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 $718 in Shenyang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shenyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $718 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shenyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Shenyang 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 Shenyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.