Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Xianyang: $618 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Xianyang
Learn more

Xianyang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Xianyang

🇨🇳 China

$618

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $618 in Xianyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Xianyang $618

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $996 in Xianyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Xianyang $996

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,375 in Xianyang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Xianyang $1,375

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 39% more expensive than in Xianyang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Xianyang 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.19 ¥14.66

-12.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$17.22 ¥115

32.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.50 ¥30.08

0.89%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.17 ¥14.48

-14.75%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.38 ¥2.55

47.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.29 ¥1.96

10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.78 ¥5.20

35.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.53 ¥10.25

12.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.47 ¥9.85

12.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.07 ¥7.14

3.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.76 ¥5.11

31.58%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.43 ¥9.58

16.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$9.58 ¥64.1

26.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$1.83 ¥12.21

101.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$7.46 ¥49.87

37.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.21 ¥8.10

144.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.04 ¥6.95

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.28 ¥8.58

21.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$0.58 ¥3.90

124.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.46 ¥3.09

167.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.62 ¥4.13

85.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.63 ¥4.19

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.59 ¥3.91

-5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.95 ¥19.73

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$7.44 ¥49.76

69.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.46 ¥3.08

108.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.74 ¥11.64

-12.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$15.94 ¥107

-27.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.30 ¥8.71

-42.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.29 ¥1.93

131.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.54 ¥30.35

-33.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.25 ¥8.34

-23.20%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.1K ¥127.7K

62.61%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$11.8K ¥78.6K

158.09%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$37.14 ¥248

174.58%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.13 ¥41.02

-3.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$10.49 ¥70.1

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$42.04 ¥281

-39.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$14.65 ¥98.0

-18.63%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.91 ¥39.50

-40.27%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$335 ¥2,239

30.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$14.8K ¥98.7K

57.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$38.41 ¥257

37.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$37.55 ¥251

-9.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$75.0 ¥502

20.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$61.0 ¥408

55.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$302 ¥2,018

95.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$180 ¥1,206

65.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$633 ¥4,235

104.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$383 ¥2,561

85.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,529 ¥23.6K

32.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$732 ¥4,896

159.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$600 ¥4,010

-18.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.35

157.91%

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 Xianyang: 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%

Xianyang

$180 29.2% 39.5% $118

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Xianyang

$148 23.9% 28.8% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Xianyang

$95 15.4% 22.1% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 54.6% $65

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Xianyang

$67 10.8% 5.1% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Xianyang

$54 8.7% 65.2% $21

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Xianyang

$20 3.2% 19.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $302 in Xianyang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xianyang pays 22% 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 $17.00 in Xianyang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $148 per month, with Xianyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Xianyang

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

06:51 6:51 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,324,612

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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) Xianyang 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Xianyang

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 Xianyang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Xianyang wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xianyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 22% lower in Xianyang. 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 $302 in Xianyang. 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 $618 in Xianyang – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Xianyang runs roughly 38% 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 $618 in Xianyang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Xianyang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Xianyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Xianyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $618 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Xianyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Xianyang 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 Xianyang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.