Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhangjiakou: $776 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Zhangjiakou
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Zhangjiakou Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhangjiakou

🇨🇳 China

$776

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $776 in Zhangjiakou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhangjiakou $776

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,216 in Zhangjiakou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhangjiakou $1,216

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,656 in Zhangjiakou.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhangjiakou $1,656

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 11% more expensive than in Zhangjiakou, 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, Zhangjiakou 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.5K

$2.20 ¥14.70

-13.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫590.9K

$24.17 ¥161

-5.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.5K

$6.05 ¥40.38

-24.96%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.52 ¥23.48

-47.44%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.51 ¥3.42

9.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,180

$0.26 ¥1.72

23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$0.94 ¥6.30

12.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.76 ¥11.73

-2.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.44 ¥9.60

15.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.6K

$2.31 ¥15.41

-51.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.06 ¥7.10

-5.66%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.02 ¥6.80

63.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.6K

$14.81 ¥98.9

-18.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.1K

$2.93 ¥19.55

25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫264.9K

$9.37 ¥62.5

9.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.62 ¥10.79

82.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$0.93 ¥6.21

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.77 ¥11.85

-11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.5K

$1.23 ¥8.22

5.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$0.80 ¥5.33

53.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.58 ¥3.85

98.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.63 ¥4.18

17.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.72 ¥4.79

-22.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.84 ¥25.61

-67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫325.9K

$13.47 ¥89.9

-6.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.07 ¥7.17

-10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$2.45 ¥16.32

-37.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,690

$0.31 ¥2.10

-16.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.7K

$17.91 ¥120

-35.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.07 ¥7.17

-29.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.3K

$0.32 ¥2.16

109.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.15 ¥41.03

-50.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.21 ¥8.09

-20.66%

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

$31.1K ₫803.8M

$19.6K ¥131.1K

58.15%

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

$30.4K ₫785.4M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

73.71%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$93.0 ¥621

9.61%

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

$5.89 ₫152.4K

$6.24 ¥41.65

-5.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.5K

$7.62 ¥50.9

37.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫660.8K

$41.33 ¥276

-38.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.3K

$14.92 ¥99.6

-20.11%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.53 ¥50.3

-53.12%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$342 ¥2,286

27.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.4M

$5,359 ¥35.8K

334.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$44.47 ¥297

18.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫883.6K

$28.44 ¥190

20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$98.7 ¥659

-8.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$60.5 ¥404

57.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$304 ¥2,027

94.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$186 ¥1,241

60.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.4M

$625 ¥4,172

106.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$370 ¥2,468

92.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.0M

$3,819 ¥25.5K

22.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,933 ¥12.9K

-1.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$396 ¥2,640

23.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.54

144.07%

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 Zhangjiakou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Zhangjiakou

$186 23.9% 37.6% $112

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhangjiakou

$212 27.3% 2.2% $4.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhangjiakou

$104 13.5% 14.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhangjiakou

$107 13.8% 9.7% $11

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhangjiakou

$89 11.5% 40.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhangjiakou

$56 7.3% 73% $24

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhangjiakou

$22 2.8% 31.3% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $304 in Zhangjiakou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 24% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $24.00 in Zhangjiakou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $212 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Zhangjiakou

🕒 Local time

20:08 8:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

4,345,491

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.87 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 25,872 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 29,017 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 16, 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) Zhangjiakou 3,440 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhangjiakou

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 Zhangjiakou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhangjiakou wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhangjiakou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $304 in Zhangjiakou. 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhangjiakou runs roughly 56% 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 $776 in Zhangjiakou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Zhangjiakou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhangjiakou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhangjiakou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $776 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhangjiakou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Zhangjiakou 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 Zhangjiakou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.