Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $859 a month against $1,055 in Zhubei City, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. The total is higher in Zhubei City despite lower rent and utilities.

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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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zhubei City
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Zhubei City Living Index

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhubei City

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,055

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,055 in Zhubei City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhubei City $1,055

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,841 in Zhubei City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhubei City $1,841

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $2,627 in Zhubei City.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhubei City $2,627

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) costs roughly 19% less than in Zhubei City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Zhubei City 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$4.83 NT$157

-60.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$28.00 NT$908

-18.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.07 NT$164

-10.45%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$2.89 NT$93.8

-35.99%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.91 NT$29.41

-38.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.59 NT$19.02

-45.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ₫27.5K

$1.93 NT$62.5

-45.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 ₫44.5K

$2.33 NT$75.6

-26.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$2.79 NT$90.4

-40.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.87 NT$60.7

-40.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$4.59 NT$149

-78.21%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$2.85 NT$92.5

-41.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$24.76 NT$803

-51.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$8.37 NT$271

-56.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$25.93 NT$841

-60.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$4.04 NT$131

-26.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$2.42 NT$78.5

-48.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$2.69 NT$87.3

-42.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$3.27 NT$106

-60.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$3.02 NT$97.9

-59.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$2.02 NT$65.5

-43.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$2.06 NT$66.9

-64.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$1.33 NT$43.25

-57.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$3.88 NT$126

-68.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$9.23 NT$299

36.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$1.43 NT$46.36

-32.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$2.33 NT$75.4

-34.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.61 NT$19.85

-57.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$3.10 NT$101

-75.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.64 NT$20.76

4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$9.25 NT$300

-67.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$0.99 NT$32.17

-3.03%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$33.5K NT$1.1M

-7.18%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$24.8K NT$805.7K

22.19%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$103 NT$3,331

-0.71%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$18.96 NT$615

-68.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$22.80 NT$739

-53.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$31.40 NT$1,018

-18.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$9.99 NT$324

-64.66%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$646 NT$20.9K

-32.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$16.5K NT$533.8K

41.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$57.7 NT$1,870

-8.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$31.13 NT$1,010

9.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$90.8 NT$2,946

-0.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$99.0 NT$3,209

-4.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$501 NT$16.2K

17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$217 NT$7,032

37.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$1,100 NT$35.7K

17.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$768 NT$24.9K

-7.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$16.2K NT$525.9K

-71.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$9,751 NT$316.2K

-80.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$2,391 NT$77.5K

-79.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

2.4

260.00%

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 Zhubei City: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7%

Zhubei City

$217 20.6% 27.2% $81

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhubei City

$400 37.9% 92.8% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhubei City

$125 11.9% 2.4% $2.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhubei City

$144 13.7% 22.1% $26

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhubei City

$109 10.3% 71.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhubei City

$51 4.9% 57.6% $19

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhubei City

$8.8 * 0.8% 47.4% $7.9

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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhubei City pays 388% 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 $28.00 in Zhubei City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $400 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇹🇼 Zhubei City

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

211,746

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TWD, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 25,889 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,105 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Zhubei City 2,170 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhubei City

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 Zhubei City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

On paper, salaries run 388% lower in Zhubei City. 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 $501 in Zhubei City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 93% higher in Zhubei City. 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 $1,055 in Zhubei City – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,055 in Zhubei City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) but tight or insufficient in Zhubei City. The gap between the two cities makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $859 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) hard to pass up.

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