Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhuhai: $787 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $860 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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 Zhuhai
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Zhuhai Living Index

Jump to prices

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Zhuhai

🇨🇳 China

$787

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $787 in Zhuhai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859
Zhuhai $787

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,310 in Zhuhai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395
Zhuhai $1,310

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) versus $1,833 in Zhuhai.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931
Zhuhai $1,833

Living in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) is roughly 9% more expensive than in Zhuhai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower, Zhuhai 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.91 ₫49.6K

$2.74 ¥18.31

-30.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.84 ₫591.2K

$29.77 ¥199

-23.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ₫117.6K

$5.28 ¥35.26

-14.02%

Cappuccino

$1.85 ₫48.0K

$3.23 ¥21.58

-42.72%

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

$0.56 ₫14.6K

$0.47 ¥3.16

19.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,185

$0.35 ¥2.36

-8.57%

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

$2.17 ¥14.46

-20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ₫42.9K

$1.60 ¥10.70

3.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 ₫28.7K

$1.29 ¥8.59

-13.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.00 ₫25.9K

$1.10 ¥7.33

-9.09%

Eggs

$1.67 ₫43.1K

$1.70 ¥11.38

-1.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

$4.23 ¥28.27

185.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

$2.30 ¥15.34

60.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.24 ₫265.1K

$3.85 ¥25.68

165.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.96 ₫76.5K

$1.30 ¥8.67

127.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$0.59 ¥3.92

110.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

$0.47 ¥3.15

231.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₫33.6K

$1.49 ¥9.97

-12.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

$0.76 ¥5.08

61.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

$0.46 ¥3.10

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₫19.1K

$0.31 ¥2.10

138.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.43 ¥2.90

30.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.1K

$2.95 ¥19.68

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 ₫326.1K

$3.68 ¥24.57

242.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₫24.9K

$0.61 ¥4.09

57.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.82 ¥12.14

-15.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₫6,694

$0.13 ¥0.87

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.51 ₫297.9K

$9.07 ¥60.6

26.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$1.48 ¥9.88

-49.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 ₫17.4K

$0.37 ¥2.49

81.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.03 ₫78.5K

$7.23 ¥48.27

-58.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.96 ₫24.8K

$1.23 ¥8.23

-21.95%

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

$31.1K ₫804.3M

$15.5K ¥103.2K

101.03%

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

$30.4K ₫785.9M

$13.7K ¥91.4K

121.79%

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

$102 ₫2.6M

$56.1 ¥375

81.81%

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

$5.89 ₫152.5K

$9.88 ¥66.0

-40.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.49 ₫271.6K

$16.63 ¥111

-36.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.2K

$81.8 ¥546

-68.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.5K

$31.35 ¥209

-61.98%

Cinema Ticket

$3.53 ₫91.3K

$7.58 ¥50.6

-53.43%

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

$436 ₫11.3M

$521 ¥3,480

-16.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.3K ₫602.8M

$23.9K ¥159.4K

-2.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 ₫1.4M

$29.35 ¥196

79.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

$40.57 ¥271

-15.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 ₫2.3M

$71.8 ¥479

25.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.0 ₫2.5M

$90.3 ¥603

5.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 ₫15.3M

$436 ¥2,909

35.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₫7.7M

$280 ¥1,873

6.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,292 ₫33.5M

$905 ¥6,042

42.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$711 ₫18.4M

$656 ¥4,377

8.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,676 ₫121.1M

$4,597 ¥30.7K

1.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,904 ₫49.3M

$2,882 ¥19.2K

-33.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

$1,045 ¥6,977

-53.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

3.35

157.91%

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 Zhuhai: 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%

Zhuhai

$280 35.7% 5.8% $17

Groceries & Markets

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1%

Zhuhai

$119 15.1% 42.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3%

Zhuhai

$104 13.3% 14.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8%

Zhuhai

$83 10.5% 30.2% $36

Eating Out

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4%

Zhuhai

$90 11.5% 42.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8%

Zhuhai

$97 12.3% 197% $64

Getting Around

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9%

Zhuhai

$13 1.6% 22.3% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and $436 in Zhuhai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhuhai pays 113% 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 Zhuhai. Groceries flip the comparison at $207 vs $119, with Zhuhai cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇨🇳 Zhuhai

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

17:33 5:33 PM

1 h ahead of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,456,700

2,207,090

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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) Zhuhai 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
Zhuhai

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 Zhuhai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zhuhai wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhuhai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 113% lower in Zhuhai. 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 $436 in Zhuhai. 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 $787 in Zhuhai – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhuhai runs roughly 27% 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 $787 in Zhuhai versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Zhuhai but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhuhai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhuhai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $787 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhuhai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) and Zhuhai 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 Zhuhai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.