Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhanjiang: $716 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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 Zhanjiang
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Zhanjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhanjiang

🇨🇳 China

$716

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $716 in Zhanjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhanjiang $716

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,136 in Zhanjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhanjiang $1,136

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,556 in Zhanjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhanjiang $1,556

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 20% more expensive than in Zhanjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Zhanjiang 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.59 ¥17.33

-26.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$19.75 ¥132

15.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.20 ¥34.77

-12.69%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.82 ¥18.83

-34.40%

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 ₫8,185

$0.34 ¥2.29

-5.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.21 ¥8.11

-12.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$1.96 ¥13.13

-12.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.82 ¥12.15

-8.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.76 ¥11.75

-36.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.83 ¥5.54

20.48%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.62 ¥10.85

3.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$15.01 ¥100

-19.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$3.19 ¥21.30

15.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$9.84 ¥65.8

4.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.85 ¥12.36

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.28 ¥8.59

-3.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.55 ¥10.37

0.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.27 ¥8.47

2.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.73 ¥4.88

68.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.83 ¥5.55

38.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.57 ¥3.83

29.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.58 ¥3.87

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.58 ¥23.93

-65.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$10.68 ¥71.4

17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.97 ¥6.48

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.79 ¥11.95

-14.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.27 ¥1.79

-3.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$16.11 ¥108

-28.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.65 ¥11.00

-54.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.31 ¥2.08

116.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$6.12 ¥40.91

-50.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.09 ¥7.32

-11.93%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$17.8K ¥118.7K

75.02%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$15.7K ¥104.8K

93.77%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$56.1 ¥375

81.65%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.19 ¥61.5

-35.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$12.15 ¥81.3

-13.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$40.07 ¥268

-36.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$13.31 ¥89.0

-10.44%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$5.99 ¥40.05

-41.07%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$373 ¥2,493

17.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$16.4K ¥109.5K

42.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$46.39 ¥310

13.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$34.55 ¥231

-1.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$70.3 ¥470

28.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$74.8 ¥500

27.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$310 ¥2,073

90.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$173 ¥1,154

72.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$577 ¥3,858

123.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$343 ¥2,295

107.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$3,337 ¥22.3K

40.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$1,866 ¥12.5K

2.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.36

157.14%

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 Zhanjiang: 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%

Zhanjiang

$173 24.1% 42.1% $125

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhanjiang

$208 29.1% 0.5% $1.1

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhanjiang

$102 14.2% 17% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhanjiang

$77 10.8% 34.5% $41

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhanjiang

$84 11.7% 31.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhanjiang

$52 7.3% 59.7% $19

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhanjiang

$20 2.9% 22.4% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $310 in Zhanjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) vs $20.00 in Zhanjiang. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $208, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Zhanjiang

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

1,612,000

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Zhanjiang 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhanjiang

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 Zhanjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhanjiang wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhanjiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,288 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $1,074 in Zhanjiang 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 $310 in Zhanjiang. 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 $716 in Zhanjiang – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhanjiang runs roughly 40% 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 $716 in Zhanjiang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhanjiang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhanjiang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhanjiang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $716 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhanjiang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Zhanjiang 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 Zhanjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.