Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhenjiang: $699 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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)
Learn more

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Zhenjiang
Learn more

Zhenjiang Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhenjiang

🇨🇳 China

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $699 in Zhenjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhenjiang $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,189 in Zhenjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhenjiang $1,189

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,678 in Zhenjiang.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhenjiang $1,678

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 23% more expensive than in Zhenjiang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Zhenjiang 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.5K

$3.05 ¥20.41

-37.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫590.9K

$30.22 ¥202

-24.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.5K

$4.41 ¥29.43

2.95%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.64 ¥17.66

-29.92%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.61 ¥4.09

-8.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,180

$0.35 ¥2.37

-8.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.23 ¥8.22

-13.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.18 ¥14.56

-21.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.8K

$1.77 ¥11.86

-6.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.6K

$1.45 ¥9.71

-23.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$0.93 ¥6.20

7.53%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.66 ¥11.10

0.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.6K

$14.39 ¥96.1

-16.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.1K

$3.07 ¥20.53

19.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫264.9K

$12.91 ¥86.2

-20.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.81 ¥12.08

63.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$1.72 ¥11.50

-27.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$1.75 ¥11.71

-10.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.5K

$1.69 ¥11.28

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.8K

$0.81 ¥5.41

51.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.99 ¥6.59

16.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.47 ¥3.14

57.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.58 ¥3.89

-3.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.70 ¥24.74

-66.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫325.9K

$10.68 ¥71.3

17.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.88 ¥5.88

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.5K

$1.62 ¥10.86

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,690

$0.15 ¥0.98

73.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.7K

$7.49 ¥50.0

53.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.47 ¥9.83

-48.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.3K

$0.47 ¥3.13

42.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$4.38 ¥29.27

-30.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.21 ¥8.11

-20.66%

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

$31.1K ₫803.8M

$17.8K ¥118.9K

74.57%

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

$30.4K ₫785.4M

$17.9K ¥119.6K

69.58%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$57.4 ¥383

77.76%

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

$5.89 ₫152.4K

$8.18 ¥54.7

-28.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.5K

$7.65 ¥51.1

37.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫660.8K

$45.06 ¥301

-43.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.3K

$30.32 ¥203

-60.69%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$9.05 ¥60.5

-60.99%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$440 ¥2,939

-0.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.4M

$28.1K ¥187.5K

-17.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$44.54 ¥298

18.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫883.6K

$30.24 ¥202

12.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$68.2 ¥456

32.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$83.7 ¥559

13.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$228 ¥1,526

158.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$148 ¥990

100.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.4M

$515 ¥3,440

150.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$368 ¥2,461

92.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.0M

$2,037 ¥13.6K

129.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$914 ¥6,104

108.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$970 ¥6,483

-49.54%

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 Zhenjiang: 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%

Zhenjiang

$148 21.2% 50.2% $150

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhenjiang

$217 31% 4.7% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhenjiang

$102 14.6% 16.7% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhenjiang

$73 10.5% 38.2% $45

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhenjiang

$84 12% 31.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhenjiang

$63 9% 93.8% $31

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhenjiang

$12 1.7% 28.6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $228 in Zhenjiang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhenjiang pays 98% 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 $30.00 in Zhenjiang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $217 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Zhenjiang

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

19:58 7:58 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

3,210,418

💱 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 = 0.133 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 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 = 0.133 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Zhenjiang 2,710 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhenjiang

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 Zhenjiang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhenjiang wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhenjiang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 98% lower in Zhenjiang. 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 $228 in Zhenjiang. 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 $699 in Zhenjiang – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhenjiang runs roughly 54% 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 $699 in Zhenjiang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhenjiang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhenjiang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhenjiang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $699 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhenjiang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Zhenjiang 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 Zhenjiang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.