Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Yantai: $629 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Yantai
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Yantai Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Yantai

🇨🇳 China

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $629 in Yantai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Yantai $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $926 in Yantai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Yantai $926

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,223 in Yantai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Yantai $1,223

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 36% more expensive than in Yantai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Yantai 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.92 ¥19.55

-34.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$18.14 ¥121

25.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.58 ¥30.65

-0.87%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.81 ¥18.78

-34.16%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.54 ¥3.58

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.32 ¥2.15

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.05 ¥7.01

0.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.60 ¥17.39

-33.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.96 ¥13.11

-15.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.35 ¥9.01

-17.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.83 ¥5.58

20.48%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.35 ¥9.02

23.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$16.32 ¥109

-25.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.28 ¥21.94

12.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$6.89 ¥46.04

48.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.37 ¥9.19

116.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.89 ¥5.98

39.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.07 ¥7.16

45.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$0.74 ¥4.92

75.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.67 ¥4.49

83.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.78 ¥5.24

47.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.58 ¥3.91

27.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.63 ¥4.19

-11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.65 ¥24.39

-66.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$11.68 ¥78.1

7.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.78 ¥5.25

23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.03 ¥6.88

48.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.21 ¥1.40

23.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.36 ¥9.11

-44.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.29 ¥1.92

131.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.48 ¥43.30

-53.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.23 ¥8.20

-21.95%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$19.3K ¥129.0K

61.02%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$16.4K ¥109.8K

84.93%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$44.64 ¥298

128.45%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$6.79 ¥45.37

-13.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$6.09 ¥40.75

72.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$29.60 ¥198

-13.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$7.43 ¥49.69

60.43%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.44 ¥36.37

-35.11%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$363 ¥2,426

20.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$16.6K ¥111.2K

39.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$17.97 ¥120

193.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$22.78 ¥152

49.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$93.7 ¥626

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$90.2 ¥603

5.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$223 ¥1,490

164.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$151 ¥1,010

97.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$353 ¥2,358

266.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$147 ¥982

383.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,056 ¥20.4K

53.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$5,096 ¥34.1K

-62.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,063 ¥7,107

-53.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.37

156.38%

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 Yantai: 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%

Yantai

$151 24% 49.3% $147

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Yantai

$191 30.3% 7.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Yantai

$101 16.1% 17.5% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Yantai

$58 9.1% 51.4% $61

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Yantai

$85 13.5% 33.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Yantai

$40 6.4% 24.2% $7.9

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Yantai

$3.6 * 0.6% 78.1% $13

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 $223 in Yantai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yantai 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 $18.00 in Yantai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $191 per month, with Yantai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Yantai

🕒 Local time

00:52 12:52 AM

01:52 1:52 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,871,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Yantai 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Yantai

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 Yantai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yantai wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Yantai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 117% lower in Yantai. 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 $223 in Yantai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $859 per month in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $629 in Yantai – a 36% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $629 in Yantai versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Yantai but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Yantai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Yantai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $629 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Yantai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Yantai 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 Yantai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 36% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.