Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Quang Ngai: $484 a month against $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Quang Ngai
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Quang Ngai 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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Quang Ngai

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$484

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $484 in Quang Ngai versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Quang Ngai $484
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $862

Estimated couple costs with rent: $750 in Quang Ngai versus $1,410 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Quang Ngai $750
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,016 in Quang Ngai versus $1,958 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Quang Ngai $1,016
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,958

Living in Quang Ngai costs roughly 44% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Quang Ngai 64% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$0.94 ₫24.2K

$1.98 ₫51.3K

-52.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.41 ₫269.5K

$23.14 ₫599.0K

-55.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.73 ₫122.4K

$4.76 ₫123.2K

-0.63%

Cappuccino

$1.25 ₫32.4K

$1.86 ₫48.1K

-32.80%

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

$0.32 ₫8,164

$0.51 ₫13.3K

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 ₫4,062

$0.32 ₫8,191

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 ₫34.4K

$1.03 ₫26.7K

29.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 ₫39.6K

$1.71 ₫44.4K

-10.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 ₫40.2K

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-1.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.37 ₫9,598

$1.09 ₫28.3K

-66.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 ₫19.0K

$1.05 ₫27.2K

-30.48%

Eggs

$1.54 ₫39.8K

$1.64 ₫42.6K

-6.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.82 ₫202.5K

$12.33 ₫319.2K

-36.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.91 ₫101.1K

$3.58 ₫92.6K

9.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.33 ₫163.8K

$10.56 ₫273.3K

-40.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 ₫50.9K

$2.97 ₫76.9K

-33.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.59 ₫15.3K

$1.26 ₫32.7K

-53.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₫33.0K

$1.62 ₫42.0K

-21.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.38 ₫35.6K

$1.31 ₫33.8K

5.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 ₫30.6K

$1.19 ₫30.8K

-0.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 ₫24.5K

$1.14 ₫29.6K

-16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ₫7,704

$0.73 ₫18.8K

-58.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 ₫12.2K

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-16.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.24 ₫32.2K

$1.28 ₫33.0K

-3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.54 ₫143.3K

$12.46 ₫322.5K

-55.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ₫14.4K

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-41.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ₫20.6K

$1.48 ₫38.3K

-45.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,778

$0.26 ₫6,704

30.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.76 ₫149.1K

$11.43 ₫296.0K

-49.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 ₫15.7K

$0.68 ₫17.7K

-10.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 ₫10.4K

$0.62 ₫16.1K

-35.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.96 ₫50.7K

$3.00 ₫77.7K

-34.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.75 ₫19.5K

$0.91 ₫23.5K

-17.58%

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

$30.3K ₫785.2M

$30.6K ₫791.4M

-0.79%

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

$28.1K ₫728.0M

$29.4K ₫760.1M

-4.23%

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

$65.7 ₫1.7M

$104 ₫2.7M

-36.66%

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

$6.17 ₫159.7K

$5.79 ₫149.9K

6.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.88 ₫204.1K

$10.48 ₫271.3K

-24.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$9.85 ₫255.1K

$26.08 ₫675.1K

-62.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.64 ₫120.3K

$11.90 ₫308.1K

-61.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.44 ₫89.1K

$3.89 ₫100.7K

-11.57%

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

$136 ₫3.5M

$440 ₫11.4M

-69.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,923 ₫101.6M

$24.1K ₫622.7M

-83.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$7.79 ₫201.7K

$50.9 ₫1.3M

-84.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.54 ₫195.2K

$35.18 ₫910.8K

-78.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 ₫2.6M

$92.1 ₫2.4M

9.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$27.33 ₫707.6K

$96.5 ₫2.5M

-71.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₫4.6M

$582 ₫15.1M

-69.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$122 ₫3.1M

$297 ₫7.7M

-58.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 ₫10.1M

$1,298 ₫33.6M

-69.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ₫6.4M

$727 ₫18.8M

-65.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,782 ₫123.8M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,853 ₫48.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$226 ₫5.8M

$490 ₫12.7M

-53.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.64

-18.98%

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

Last update for Quang Ngai: 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

Quang Ngai

$143 29.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.1% 44.8% $64

Accommodation & Living

Quang Ngai

$122 25.1%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.4% 144% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Quang Ngai

$80 16.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$120 13.9% 50.5% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Quang Ngai

$65 13.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$124 14.3% 91.3% $59

Eating Out

Quang Ngai

$48 10%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$64 7.5% 33.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Quang Ngai

$17 3.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$34 3.9% 102% $17

Getting Around

Quang Ngai

$9.7 2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 67.1% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $179 in Quang Ngai 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 117% 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: $10.00 in Quang Ngai vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $143 vs $208 per month, with Quang Ngai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Quang Ngai

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

Same time as Quang Ngai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

112,384

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Quang Ngai Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Quang Ngai
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

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

Quang Ngai wins on cost – living expenses run 78% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Quang Ngai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 117% 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: $179 in Quang Ngai 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 $484 per month in Quang Ngai versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 78% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Quang Ngai runs roughly 98% 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 $484 in Quang Ngai versus $862 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Quang Ngai but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Quang Ngai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Quang Ngai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $484 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Quang Ngai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Quang Ngai 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 Quang Ngai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 78% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.