Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Wuxi: $760 a month against $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Wuxi
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Wuxi Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Wuxi

🇨🇳 China

$760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $760 in Wuxi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855
Wuxi $760

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,177 in Wuxi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400
Wuxi $1,177

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,594 in Wuxi.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944
Wuxi $1,594

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 13% more expensive than in Wuxi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Wuxi 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.90 ₫49.1K

$3.75 ¥25.07

-49.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.32 ₫603.5K

$23.92 ¥160

-2.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.67 ₫120.9K

$4.39 ¥29.34

6.38%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫47.9K

$3.05 ¥20.38

-39.34%

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

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.49 ¥3.25

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ₫8,857

$0.30 ¥2.00

13.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₫26.2K

$1.46 ¥9.75

-30.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₫43.7K

$3.02 ¥20.21

-44.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 ₫40.8K

$1.87 ¥12.51

-15.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 ₫27.0K

$2.17 ¥14.52

-52.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ₫25.7K

$1.09 ¥7.28

-9.17%

Eggs

$1.60 ₫41.5K

$1.85 ¥12.36

-13.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.23 ₫316.6K

$13.32 ¥89.0

-8.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 ₫91.7K

$3.38 ¥22.61

4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 ₫270.2K

$11.07 ¥74.0

-5.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 ₫79.9K

$2.67 ¥17.81

15.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.30 ¥8.70

-3.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ₫40.6K

$1.66 ¥11.10

-5.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.5K

$1.17 ¥7.83

7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 ₫30.4K

$0.68 ¥4.56

72.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.7K

$0.80 ¥5.35

43.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ₫18.7K

$0.59 ¥3.95

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₫14.0K

$0.56 ¥3.73

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.22 ₫31.5K

$5.26 ¥35.13

-76.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₫317.8K

$11.74 ¥78.5

4.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₫25.4K

$0.90 ¥6.03

8.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 ₫38.5K

$2.18 ¥14.58

-31.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ₫7,249

$0.47 ¥3.15

-40.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.62 ₫300.8K

$18.61 ¥124

-37.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$1.51 ¥10.07

-51.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₫16.7K

$0.39 ¥2.63

64.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 ₫82.0K

$9.15 ¥61.2

-65.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ₫24.6K

$1.31 ¥8.78

-27.48%

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

$30.7K ₫795.6M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

56.75%

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

$30.6K ₫791.6M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

60.08%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$37.03 ¥247

176.26%

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

$5.65 ₫146.1K

$11.63 ¥77.7

-51.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.52 ₫272.2K

$27.41 ¥183

-61.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.86 ₫669.2K

$47.20 ¥315

-45.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.82 ₫305.9K

$7.00 ¥46.75

68.86%

Cinema Ticket

$3.39 ₫87.8K

$5.85 ¥39.09

-42.05%

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

$438 ₫11.3M

$431 ¥2,882

1.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫603.1M

$16.6K ¥110.8K

40.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 ₫1.3M

$35.65 ¥238

44.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.56 ₫894.3K

$21.86 ¥146

58.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 ₫2.4M

$65.6 ¥438

39.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.9 ₫2.5M

$45.45 ¥304

108.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$577 ₫14.9M

$334 ¥2,231

72.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 ₫7.6M

$205 ¥1,367

42.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 ₫33.5M

$584 ¥3,906

121.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 ₫18.6M

$368 ¥2,462

94.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,714 ₫122.0M

$3,654 ¥24.4K

29.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,882 ₫48.7M

$1,955 ¥13.1K

-3.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

$1,053 ¥7,035

-53.86%

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 5, 2026

Last update for Wuxi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3%

Wuxi

$205 27% 30% $88

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1%

Wuxi

$221 29.2% 7.5% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4%

Wuxi

$76 10% 38.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9%

Wuxi

$76 10.1% 35.8% $42

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5%

Wuxi

$96 12.7% 51.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Wuxi

$59 7.8% 80.5% $26

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2%

Wuxi

$24 3.2% 43.5% $7.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $334 in Wuxi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Wuxi pays 117% 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 $24.00 in Wuxi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $206 vs $221 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Wuxi

🕒 Local time

17:02 5:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

7,462,135

💱 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Wuxi 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Wuxi

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 Wuxi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wuxi wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Wuxi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Wuxi. 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: $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $334 in Wuxi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $855 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $760 in Wuxi – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Wuxi runs roughly 60% 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 $760 in Wuxi versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Wuxi but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Wuxi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Wuxi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $760 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Wuxi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Wuxi 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 Wuxi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 13% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.