Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiagang: $740 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiagang
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Zhangjiagang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhangjiagang

🇨🇳 China

$740

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $740 in Zhangjiagang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhangjiagang $740

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,149 in Zhangjiagang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhangjiagang $1,149

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,558 in Zhangjiagang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhangjiagang $1,558

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 16% more expensive than in Zhangjiagang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Zhangjiagang 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$3.80 ¥25.43

-49.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.4K

$22.20 ¥148

2.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$4.98 ¥33.31

-8.84%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.04 ¥20.32

-39.14%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.49 ¥3.29

14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,187

$0.27 ¥1.81

18.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.51 ¥10.09

-29.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.22 ¥14.84

-22.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.08 ¥13.90

-20.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$2.09 ¥13.95

-46.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.84 ¥5.64

19.05%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.2K

$1.36 ¥9.09

22.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.9K

$10.64 ¥71.1

13.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.93 ¥19.60

25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.2K

$9.12 ¥61.0

12.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.6K

$2.04 ¥13.66

45.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.29 ¥8.64

-3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.80 ¥12.04

-13.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.11 ¥7.39

17.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.90 ¥5.99

36.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.90 ¥6.03

27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.87 ¥5.80

-14.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.53 ¥3.51

5.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$3.64 ¥24.37

-65.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.2K

$13.44 ¥89.9

-6.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.94 ¥6.27

2.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.56 ¥10.44

-1.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,696

$0.30 ¥1.99

-13.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫298.0K

$17.58 ¥118

-34.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.76 ¥11.78

-57.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.39 ¥2.60

71.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$8.76 ¥58.6

-65.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.37 ¥9.14

-29.93%

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

$31.1K ₫804.4M

$19.2K ¥128.2K

62.01%

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

$30.4K ₫786.1M

$16.9K ¥112.7K

80.12%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$55.8 ¥373

82.92%

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

$5.89 ₫152.6K

$7.76 ¥51.9

-24.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.7K

$7.32 ¥48.98

43.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

$36.15 ¥242

-29.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

$16.01 ¥107

-25.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.4K

$6.07 ¥40.61

-41.85%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$418 ¥2,794

4.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.9M

$22.3K ¥149.4K

4.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$42.99 ¥288

22.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.3K

$34.04 ¥228

0.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$65.7 ¥439

37.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$88.5 ¥592

7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$280 ¥1,869

110.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$194 ¥1,295

53.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$719 ¥4,809

79.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$324 ¥2,168

119.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,266 ¥21.8K

43.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,685 ¥11.3K

12.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.42

152.63%

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 Zhangjiagang: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Zhangjiagang

$194 26.2% 35% $104

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhangjiagang

$204 27.6% 1.6% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhangjiagang

$104 14.1% 15.1% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhangjiagang

$71 9.6% 40.1% $48

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhangjiagang

$97 13.1% 52.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhangjiagang

$48 6.5% 48.1% $16

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhangjiagang

$22 3% 35% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $280 in Zhangjiagang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $22.00 in Zhangjiagang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $204 per month, with Zhangjiagang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Zhangjiagang

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

18:23 6:23 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,432,044

💱 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,997 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 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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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Zhangjiagang 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhangjiagang

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 Zhangjiagang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiagang wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiagang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,110 in Zhangjiagang to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $280 in Zhangjiagang. 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiagang runs roughly 53% 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 $740 in Zhangjiagang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhangjiagang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiagang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhangjiagang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $740 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhangjiagang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Zhangjiagang 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 Zhangjiagang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.