Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Jilin: $737 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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 Jilin
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Jilin Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)
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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Living Index

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Jilin

🇨🇳 China

$737

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Jilin and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $737 in Jilin versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jilin $737
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,185 in Jilin versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jilin $1,185
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,633 in Jilin versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Jilin $1,633
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Jilin costs roughly 15% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Jilin 46% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.79

$1.98 ₫51.3K

49.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.66 ¥152

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-2.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.31 ¥35.51

$4.76 ₫123.2K

11.55%

Cappuccino

$3.46 ¥23.12

$1.86 ₫48.1K

86.02%

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

$0.45 ¥2.98

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-11.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$0.32 ₫8,191

-21.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.15 ¥7.69

$1.03 ₫26.7K

11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ¥15.12

$1.71 ₫44.4K

32.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 ¥11.67

$1.58 ₫40.8K

10.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.09 ₫28.3K

49.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.24

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-11.43%

Eggs

$1.68 ¥11.21

$1.64 ₫42.6K

2.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.07 ¥87.4

$12.33 ₫319.2K

6.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ¥22.75

$3.58 ₫92.6K

-5.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.15 ¥74.6

$10.56 ₫273.3K

5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ¥12.07

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-39.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ¥8.55

$1.26 ₫32.7K

1.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 ¥10.48

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-3.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ¥8.42

$1.31 ₫33.8K

-3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.68

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.44

$1.14 ₫29.6K

-15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 ¥4.21

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-13.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.62

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-3.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.81 ¥25.49

$1.28 ₫33.0K

197.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.76 ¥78.6

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-5.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.48 ₫38.3K

9.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.26 ₫6,704

11.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.27 ¥122

$11.43 ₫296.0K

59.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ¥7.21

$0.68 ₫17.7K

58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 ¥1.59

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-61.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.08 ¥47.35

$3.00 ₫77.7K

136.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.38

$0.91 ₫23.5K

37.36%

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

$19.7K ¥131.7K

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-35.57%

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

$17.2K ¥114.9K

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-41.46%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$104 ₫2.7M

-45.39%

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

$8.74 ¥58.4

$5.79 ₫149.9K

50.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.28 ¥75.4

$10.48 ₫271.3K

7.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.47 ¥284

$26.08 ₫675.1K

62.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.22 ¥102

$11.90 ₫308.1K

27.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.30 ¥42.12

$3.89 ₫100.7K

61.95%

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

$415 ¥2,774

$440 ₫11.4M

-5.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K ¥116.6K

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-27.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.23 ¥289

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-15.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.09 ¥228

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-3.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.9 ¥494

$92.1 ₫2.4M

-19.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.2 ¥496

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$297 ¥1,989

$582 ₫15.1M

-48.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$181 ¥1,208

$297 ₫7.7M

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 ¥4,248

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-51.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$377 ¥2,517

$727 ₫18.8M

-48.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,419 ¥22.9K

$4,782 ₫123.8M

-28.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,956 ¥13.1K

$1,853 ₫48.0M

5.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$451 ¥3,018

$490 ₫12.7M

-7.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

8.64

-61.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Jilin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Jilin

$207 28.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 0.1% $0.3

Accommodation & Living

Jilin

$181 24.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 64.2% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Jilin

$101 13.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 21.8% $22

Eating Out

Jilin

$94 12.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 31.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jilin

$77 10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 56.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Jilin

$55 7.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 38.5% $21

Getting Around

Jilin

$22 2.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 25% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $297 in Jilin and $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) pays 9% 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 Jilin vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $208 per month, with Jilin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Jilin

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:30 6:30 AM

05:30 5:30 AM

1 h behind Jilin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,623,713

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

VND, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

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).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Jilin Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Jilin
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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

Jilin vs Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jilin wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Jilin the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). 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: $297 in Jilin versus $582 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $737 per month in Jilin versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 17% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Jilin runs roughly 60% 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 $737 in Jilin versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Jilin but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Jilin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Jilin delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $737 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Jilin hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Jilin and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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 Jilin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.