Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang 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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Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $718 in Shenyang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shenyang $718
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,071 in Shenyang versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shenyang $1,071
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,424 in Shenyang versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Shenyang $1,424
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Shenyang costs roughly 16% 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: Shenyang 47% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.07

$1.91 ₫49.6K

57.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-2.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$4.54 ₫117.6K

11.89%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥16.45

$1.85 ₫48.0K

32.97%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$0.56 ₫14.6K

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.32 ₫8,185

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-17.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$1.72 ₫44.5K

5.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.66 ₫42.9K

13.86%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.46

$1.11 ₫28.7K

121.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.00 ₫25.9K

8.00%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.88

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-38.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.08 ₫312.8K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.68 ₫95.2K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.2

$10.24 ₫265.1K

17.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.91

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-39.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-4.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₫40.3K

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.30 ₫33.6K

17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 ₫31.9K

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ₫29.8K

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-17.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$0.56 ₫14.4K

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.17

$1.24 ₫32.1K

204.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥111

$12.60 ₫326.1K

31.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-31.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.53 ₫39.6K

-28.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.26 ₫6,694

46.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$11.51 ₫297.9K

12.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$0.75 ₫19.5K

80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.78

$3.03 ₫78.5K

-2.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$0.96 ₫24.8K

34.38%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-38.54%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-39.67%

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

$75.4 ¥504

$102 ₫2.6M

-26.08%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$5.89 ₫152.5K

169.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$10.49 ₫271.6K

41.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$25.54 ₫661.2K

-12.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$11.92 ₫308.5K

-9.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.75

$3.53 ₫91.3K

72.52%

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

$539 ¥3,606

$436 ₫11.3M

23.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥142.1K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

-8.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-19.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.15 ₫884.1K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥398

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-34.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥465

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-26.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,850

$589 ₫15.3M

-53.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,619

$298 ₫7.7M

-18.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,734

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-56.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,625

$711 ₫18.4M

-44.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-51.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,745

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-31.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,454

$490 ₫12.7M

127.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

8.64

-49.42%

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

Last update for Shenyang: October 12, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 23% $56

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 29.3% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 11.5% $12

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 20.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 58.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 5.4% $1.9

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 4.1% $0.7

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 $277 in Shenyang and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shenyang pays 128% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $22.00 in Shenyang vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $160 vs $207 per month, with Shenyang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

21:08 9:08 PM

1 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

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 18, 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 18, 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

Shenyang Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 3,820 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

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

Shenyang 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 Shenyang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 128% higher in Shenyang, 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: $277 in Shenyang 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 $718 per month in Shenyang versus $859 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 Shenyang runs roughly 12% 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 $718 in Shenyang versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,000 budget is realistic in Shenyang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Shenyang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Shenyang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $718 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Shenyang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Shenyang 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 Shenyang 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.