Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vietnam and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living costs are similar in Vietnam and in China: $763 and $793 a month, rent and utilities included.

37

Cost of Living Index in Vietnam
Learn more

Vietnam Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$763

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vietnam and in China

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Vietnam and in China actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $763 in Vietnam versus $793 in China.

Vietnam $763
China $793

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,203 in Vietnam versus $1,261 in China.

Vietnam $1,203
China $1,261

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,643 in Vietnam versus $1,730 in China.

Vietnam $1,643
China $1,730

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $466 to $1,244, compared to $432–$874 in Vietnam. City choice carries more weight in China.

Living in Vietnam costs about 4% less than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Vietnam 43% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ₫51.1K

$2.96 ¥19.76

-33.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.29 ₫499.5K

$22.74 ¥152

-15.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 ₫120.2K

$5.34 ¥35.70

-13.11%

Cappuccino

$1.71 ₫44.2K

$3.04 ¥20.35

-43.75%

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

$0.49 ₫12.6K

$0.48 ¥3.22

2.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ₫8,295

$0.28 ¥1.85

14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.97 ₫25.2K

$1.03 ¥6.92

-5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 ₫39.2K

$2.27 ¥15.16

-33.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ₫37.8K

$1.80 ¥12.02

-18.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.96 ₫25.0K

$1.69 ¥11.28

-43.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.90 ₫23.4K

$1.00 ¥6.69

-10.00%

Eggs

$1.50 ₫38.7K

$1.56 ¥10.42

-3.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 ₫299.3K

$13.44 ¥89.8

-13.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.85 ₫99.6K

$3.48 ¥23.28

10.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 ₫245.9K

$11.49 ¥76.8

-17.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ₫73.7K

$1.79 ¥12.00

59.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 ₫28.5K

$1.26 ¥8.41

-12.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 ₫36.8K

$1.48 ¥9.92

-4.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ₫32.7K

$1.31 ¥8.76

-3.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 ₫29.5K

$0.72 ¥4.84

58.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.21 ₫31.2K

$0.93 ¥6.24

30.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₫18.9K

$0.61 ¥4.11

19.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₫13.5K

$0.58 ¥3.89

-10.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.42 ₫36.7K

$3.84 ¥25.65

-63.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.87 ₫255.4K

$11.87 ¥79.4

-16.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₫23.1K

$0.86 ¥5.72

3.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 ₫38.0K

$1.69 ¥11.33

-13.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 ₫8,822

$0.31 ¥2.07

9.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.40 ₫217.4K

$22.36 ¥150

-62.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₫19.6K

$1.47 ¥9.82

-48.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 ₫14.3K

$0.38 ¥2.53

44.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.25 ₫58.2K

$7.03 ¥47.04

-67.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₫23.2K

$1.24 ¥8.32

-27.42%

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

$30.9K ₫800.0M

$19.2K ¥128.5K

60.73%

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

$30.1K ₫779.7M

$17.3K ¥115.6K

74.14%

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

$73.7 ₫1.9M

$54.3 ¥363

35.75%

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

$5.74 ₫148.5K

$8.34 ¥55.7

-31.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.38 ₫242.8K

$10.77 ¥72.0

-12.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.37 ₫553.2K

$40.39 ¥270

-47.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.96 ₫231.9K

$14.77 ¥98.8

-39.34%

Cinema Ticket

$3.96 ₫102.5K

$6.89 ¥46.08

-42.53%

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

$377 ₫9.8M

$457 ¥3,057

-17.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.9K ₫514.0M

$20.1K ¥134.2K

-1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.79 ₫1.1M

$45.10 ¥302

-7.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.50 ₫660.2K

$35.65 ¥238

-28.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.9 ₫2.2M

$77.9 ¥521

10.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 ₫2.0M

$78.0 ¥522

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$417 ₫10.8M

$391 ¥2,615

6.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$276 ₫7.1M

$232 ¥1,549

18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$848 ₫22.0M

$816 ¥5,457

3.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 ₫14.6M

$459 ¥3,070

23.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,743 ₫96.9M

$4,585 ¥30.7K

-18.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,903 ₫49.3M

$2,309 ¥15.4K

-17.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$413 ₫10.7M

$1,084 ¥7,247

-61.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

3.46

152.89%

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

Last update for Vietnam: October 12, 2026

Last update for China: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vietnam

$276 36.1%

China

$232 29.2% 15.9% $44

Groceries & Markets

Vietnam

$191 25.1%

China

$211 26.6% 10.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Vietnam

$104 13.6%

China

$107 13.4% 2.5% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vietnam

$89 11.6%

China

$73 9.3% 17.4% $15

Eating Out

Vietnam

$61 8%

China

$89 11.2% 45% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Vietnam

$29 3.8%

China

$54 6.8% 85% $25

Getting Around

Vietnam

$13 1.7%

China

$27 3.4% 103% $14

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $376 in Vietnam, $298 in China. Capital cities: $403 in Hanoi vs $940 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $343 in Vietnam, $871 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 26% higher in Vietnam.

Public transport is 183% more expensive in China.

Salaries are 154% higher in China, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇻🇳 Vietnam

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

16:06 4:06 PM

1 h ahead of Vietnam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,208,984

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 VND = 3.86 USD

100,000 VND = 3.44 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to VND – Vietnamese Dong Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇻🇳 Vietnamese Dong (₫)

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).

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).

USD to VND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Vietnam China 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Vietnam
China

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

Vietnam vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $793 per month in China and $763 in Vietnam, there's a 4% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Vietnam: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

In Vietnam, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in China it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Vietnam wins on affordability; China may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.