Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Kunshan: $710 a month against $855 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.

35

Cost of Living Index in Kunshan
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Kunshan 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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Kunshan

🇨🇳 China

$710

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kunshan 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 Kunshan and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $710 in Kunshan versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kunshan $710
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,135 in Kunshan versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kunshan $1,135
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,561 in Kunshan versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Kunshan $1,561
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Kunshan costs roughly 17% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.76 ¥18.47

$1.90 ₫49.2K

45.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.37 ¥143

$23.32 ₫604.8K

-8.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.78 ¥31.96

$4.67 ₫121.2K

2.36%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ¥20.28

$1.85 ₫48.0K

63.78%

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

$0.46 ¥3.09

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.34 ₫8,875

-14.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.28

$1.01 ₫26.2K

-6.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 ¥14.32

$1.69 ₫43.8K

26.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$1.58 ₫40.9K

17.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 ¥10.43

$1.04 ₫27.1K

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.29

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-5.05%

Eggs

$1.61 ¥10.78

$1.60 ₫41.6K

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.00 ¥86.9

$12.23 ₫317.3K

6.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.24 ¥21.67

$3.54 ₫91.9K

-8.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.38 ¥69.4

$10.44 ₫270.8K

-0.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.10

$3.09 ₫80.1K

-41.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.98

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 ¥9.90

$1.57 ₫40.6K

-5.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-13.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-40.17%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-14.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.74

$0.72 ₫18.8K

-22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ¥3.44

$0.54 ₫14.0K

-5.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.16 ¥21.15

$1.22 ₫31.6K

159.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.71 ¥71.6

$12.28 ₫318.5K

-12.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 ¥4.96

$0.98 ₫25.5K

-24.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ¥10.63

$1.49 ₫38.6K

6.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 ¥1.78

$0.28 ₫7,264

-3.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.00 ¥114

$11.62 ₫301.5K

46.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ¥9.44

$0.73 ₫19.0K

93.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.18

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-48.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 ¥45.12

$3.17 ₫82.2K

112.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 ¥7.91

$0.95 ₫24.7K

24.21%

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

$19.8K ¥132.2K

$30.7K ₫797.2M

-35.64%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$30.6K ₫793.2M

-43.18%

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

$44.30 ¥296

$102 ₫2.7M

-56.70%

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

$9.92 ¥66.3

$5.65 ₫146.4K

75.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.65 ¥77.9

$10.52 ₫272.8K

10.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.65 ¥278

$25.86 ₫670.6K

61.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.67 ¥91.4

$11.82 ₫306.6K

15.65%

Cinema Ticket

$5.99 ¥40.04

$3.39 ₫88.0K

76.70%

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

$331 ¥2,211

$438 ₫11.4M

-24.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K ¥111.6K

$23.3K ₫604.4M

-28.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.98 ¥287

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-16.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.88 ¥200

$34.56 ₫896.2K

-13.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 ¥481

$91.3 ₫2.4M

-21.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ¥481

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$273 ¥1,824

$577 ₫15.0M

-52.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$196 ¥1,310

$292 ₫7.6M

-32.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 ¥4,017

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-53.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 ¥2,376

$717 ₫18.6M

-50.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,052 ¥20.4K

$4,714 ₫122.2M

-35.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,029 ¥13.6K

$1,882 ₫48.8M

7.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$486 ₫12.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.89

8.64

-54.98%

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

Last update for Kunshan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kunshan

$199 27.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 3.2% $6.4

Accommodation & Living

Kunshan

$196 27.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 49% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Kunshan

$98 13.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 25.6% $25

Eating Out

Kunshan

$85 11.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 25.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kunshan

$66 9.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 79.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Kunshan

$54 7.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 39.1% $21

Getting Around

Kunshan

$21 2.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 20.9% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $273 in Kunshan and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $21.00 in Kunshan vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $199 vs $206 per month, with Kunshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Kunshan

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:43 4:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

1 h behind Kunshan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,092,496

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 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 13, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 25,934 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 29,064 VND (100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kunshan Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,720 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Kunshan
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

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

Kunshan 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 Kunshan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,065 in Kunshan and $1,283 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 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: $273 in Kunshan versus $577 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 $710 per month in Kunshan versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kunshan runs roughly 46% 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 $710 in Kunshan versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kunshan but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Kunshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kunshan delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $710 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kunshan hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kunshan 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 Kunshan 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.