Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Weifang: $564 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇻🇳 Vietnam
$862
/mo nomad
Weifang
🇨🇳 China
$564
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $564 in Weifang.

  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862
  • Weifang $564

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $893 in Weifang.

  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410
  • Weifang $893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,223 in Weifang.

  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958
  • Weifang $1,223

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 53% more expensive than in Weifang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Weifang 58% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.98 ₫51.3K
$2.51 ¥16.79
-21.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.14 ₫599.0K
$15.09 ¥101
53.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.76 ₫123.2K
$4.97 ¥33.20
-4.23%
Cappuccino
$1.86 ₫48.1K
$2.66 ¥17.80
-30.08%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₫13.3K
$0.43 ¥2.89
18.60%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 ₫8,191
$0.23 ¥1.54
39.13%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 ₫26.7K
$0.89 ¥5.94
15.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 ₫44.4K
$1.95 ¥13.05
-12.31%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 ₫40.8K
$1.51 ¥10.12
4.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.09 ₫28.3K
$1.28 ¥8.56
-14.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 ₫27.2K
$0.87 ¥5.83
20.69%
Eggs
$1.64 ₫42.6K
$1.07 ¥7.17
53.27%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.33 ₫319.2K
$11.63 ¥77.8
6.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.58 ₫92.6K
$2.88 ¥19.24
24.31%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.56 ₫273.3K
$8.18 ¥54.7
29.10%
Apples (1kg)
$2.97 ₫76.9K
$1.02 ¥6.85
191.18%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ₫32.7K
$0.89 ¥5.95
41.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.62 ₫42.0K
$1.37 ¥9.17
18.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.31 ₫33.8K
$0.68 ¥4.53
92.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 ₫30.8K
$0.48 ¥3.19
147.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 ₫29.6K
$0.44 ¥2.91
159.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.73 ₫18.8K
$0.52 ¥3.51
40.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ₫14.6K
$0.63 ¥4.21
-11.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.28 ₫33.0K
$3.68 ¥24.62
-65.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.46 ₫322.5K
$10.16 ¥68.0
22.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 ₫24.9K
$0.68 ¥4.58
41.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.48 ₫38.3K
$1.13 ¥7.54
30.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.26 ₫6,704
$0.21 ¥1.40
23.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.43 ₫296.0K
$7.28 ¥48.65
57.01%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.68 ₫17.7K
$0.95 ¥6.36
-28.42%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 ₫16.1K
$0.25 ¥1.67
148.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.00 ₫77.7K
$4.41 ¥29.49
-31.97%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.91 ₫23.5K
$1.30 ¥8.67
-30.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.6K ₫791.4M
$12.9K ¥86.3K
136.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.4K ₫760.1M
$14.8K ¥99.2K
97.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$104 ₫2.7M
$68.1 ¥455
52.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$5.79 ₫149.9K
$6.84 ¥45.72
-15.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$10.48 ₫271.3K
$7.28 ¥48.70
43.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.08 ₫675.1K
$30.08 ¥201
-13.30%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.90 ₫308.1K
$15.11 ¥101
-21.24%
Cinema Ticket
$3.89 ₫100.7K
$4.53 ¥30.28
-14.13%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$440 ₫11.4M
$187 ¥1,252
134.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.1K ₫622.7M
$19.8K ¥132.7K
21.17%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.9 ₫1.3M
$22.17 ¥148
129.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.18 ₫910.8K
$43.08 ¥288
-18.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92.1 ₫2.4M
$70.7 ¥472
30.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$96.5 ₫2.5M
$70.2 ¥469
37.53%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$582 ₫15.1M
$137 ¥917
324.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$297 ₫7.7M
$94.5 ¥632
213.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,298 ₫33.6M
$324 ¥2,167
300.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$727 ₫18.8M
$206 ¥1,377
253.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,782 ₫123.8M
$1,503 ¥10.0K
218.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,853 ₫48.0M
$5,133 ¥34.3K
-63.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Weifang
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$490 ₫12.7M
$638 ¥4,269
-23.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.64
3.13
176.04%

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 Weifang: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$297
Weifang
$95 68.1% $202
Groceries & Markets
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$208
Weifang
$167 19.7% $41
Clothing & Footwear
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$124
Weifang
$93 25% $31
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$120
Weifang
$82 31.5% $38
Eating Out
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$64
Weifang
$78 21.1% $14
Sport & Entertainment
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$34
Weifang
$39 15.6% $5.3
Getting Around
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
$16
Weifang
$10 36.5% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $137 in Weifang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Weifang pays 30% 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 $15.00 in Weifang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $208 vs $167 per month, with Weifang cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🇨🇳 Weifang
🕒 Local time
18:40 6:40 PM
19:40 7:40 PM
1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,456,700
9,277,200
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Weifang 3,140 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
  • Weifang

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 Weifang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Weifang?
Weifang wins on cost – living expenses run 53% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Weifang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or in Weifang?
On paper, salaries run 30% lower in Weifang. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) compared to Weifang?
Rent for a central apartment: $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $137 in Weifang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) compared to Weifang?
All in, you'll spend $862 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $564 in Weifang – a 53% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) compared to Weifang?
A monthly transit pass in Weifang runs roughly 57% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,500/month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or in Weifang?
At $564 in Weifang versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Weifang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Weifang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) or Weifang?
Both work as nomad bases, but Weifang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $564 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Weifang hard to pass up.
How safe is Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) compared to Weifang?
Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Weifang are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Weifang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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