Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Shantou: $692 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

34

Cost of Living Index in Shantou
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Shantou 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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Shantou

🇨🇳 China

$692

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $692 in Shantou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shantou $692
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,104 in Shantou versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shantou $1,104
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,516 in Shantou versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shantou $1,516
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Shantou costs roughly 19% 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: Shantou 49% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ¥15.35

$1.91 ₫49.6K

19.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.70 ¥158

$22.84 ₫591.4K

3.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.59

$4.54 ₫117.6K

13.88%

Cappuccino

$3.38 ¥22.63

$1.85 ₫48.0K

82.70%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.05

$0.32 ₫8,187

-3.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.92

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 ¥14.28

$1.72 ₫44.5K

23.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 ¥10.71

$1.66 ₫42.9K

-3.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ¥9.73

$1.11 ₫28.7K

30.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 ¥5.18

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-23.00%

Eggs

$1.69 ¥11.33

$1.67 ₫43.2K

1.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.63 ¥91.1

$12.08 ₫312.9K

12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.43 ¥22.91

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-6.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.16 ¥88.0

$10.24 ₫265.2K

28.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 ¥13.03

$2.96 ₫76.6K

-34.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 ¥10.05

$1.24 ₫32.2K

20.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 ¥12.14

$1.56 ₫40.3K

16.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ¥8.70

$1.30 ₫33.6K

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 ¥7.11

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-7.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 ¥3.96

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-20.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-23.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.69 ¥24.71

$1.24 ₫32.2K

197.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.00 ¥80.2

$12.60 ₫326.2K

-4.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.57

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 ¥11.98

$1.53 ₫39.6K

16.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 ¥2.41

$0.26 ₫6,696

38.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.27 ¥162

$11.51 ₫298.0K

110.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.53 ¥10.24

$0.75 ₫19.5K

104.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.56

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-43.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.31 ¥48.86

$3.03 ₫78.5K

141.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ¥8.25

$0.96 ₫24.8K

28.13%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$31.1K ₫804.4M

-36.28%

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

$18.0K ¥120.5K

$30.4K ₫786.1M

-40.64%

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

$56.7 ¥379

$102 ₫2.6M

-44.44%

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

$8.89 ¥59.5

$5.89 ₫152.6K

50.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.86 ¥92.7

$10.49 ₫271.7K

32.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.54 ₫661.3K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.92 ₫308.6K

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 ¥50.5

$3.53 ₫91.4K

113.60%

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

$540 ¥3,614

$436 ₫11.3M

23.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.2K ¥162.1K

$23.3K ₫602.9M

4.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.6 ¥372

$52.8 ₫1.4M

5.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.70 ¥265

$34.15 ₫884.3K

16.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.1 ¥489

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-19.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.4 ¥611

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-3.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$298 ¥1,991

$589 ₫15.3M

-49.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 ¥1,011

$298 ₫7.7M

-49.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 ¥4,027

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-53.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ¥1,969

$711 ₫18.4M

-58.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,278 ¥15.2K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-51.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,469 ¥29.9K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

134.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,062 ¥7,099

$490 ₫12.7M

116.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

8.64

-61.23%

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

Last update for Shantou: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shantou

$214 31%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 3.3% $7.1

Accommodation & Living

Shantou

$151 21.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 97% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Shantou

$117 16.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 4.8% $5.6

Eating Out

Shantou

$86 12.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 26.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shantou

$79 11.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 49.1% $39

Getting Around

Shantou

$29 4.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 42.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shantou

$15 * 2.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 116% $18

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 $298 in Shantou and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shantou pays 117% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $24.00 in Shantou vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $214 vs $207 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shantou

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

1 h behind Shantou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,389,328

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 = 3.45 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.49 CNY (1 CNY = 0.134 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 25,894 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,997 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shantou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Shantou
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

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

Shantou wins on cost – living expenses run 24% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Shantou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 117% higher in Shantou, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $298 in Shantou versus $589 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 $692 per month in Shantou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 24% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Shantou runs roughly 111% 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 $692 in Shantou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Shantou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Shantou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shantou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $692 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shantou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Shantou 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 Shantou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.