Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living costs are similar in Xiamen and in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): $842 and $855 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Xiamen
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Xiamen 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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Xiamen

🇨🇳 China

$842

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$855

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $842 in Xiamen versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Xiamen $842
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $855

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,338 in Xiamen versus $1,400 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Xiamen $1,338
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,400

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,835 in Xiamen versus $1,944 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Xiamen $1,835
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,944

Living in Xiamen costs roughly 2% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Xiamen 37% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 ¥20.10

$1.90 ₫49.1K

58.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.67 ¥158

$23.32 ₫603.5K

1.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.85

$4.67 ₫120.9K

14.78%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ¥16.78

$1.85 ₫47.9K

35.68%

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

$0.47 ¥3.14

$0.56 ₫14.4K

-16.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.37

$0.34 ₫8,857

2.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.86

$1.01 ₫26.2K

45.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 ¥19.97

$1.69 ₫43.7K

76.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ¥9.78

$1.58 ₫40.8K

-7.59%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 ¥15.20

$1.04 ₫27.0K

118.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.55

$0.99 ₫25.7K

-1.01%

Eggs

$1.63 ¥10.92

$1.60 ₫41.5K

1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 ¥79.9

$12.23 ₫316.6K

-2.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.52 ¥16.83

$3.54 ₫91.7K

-28.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$10.44 ₫270.2K

12.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$3.09 ₫79.9K

-17.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.85

$1.26 ₫32.5K

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$1.57 ₫40.6K

5.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 ¥13.19

$1.26 ₫32.5K

56.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.86

$1.17 ₫30.4K

-11.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 ¥12.18

$1.15 ₫29.7K

58.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 ¥6.05

$0.72 ₫18.7K

26.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ¥3.31

$0.54 ₫14.0K

-9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.06 ¥20.47

$1.22 ₫31.5K

150.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ¥75.0

$12.28 ₫317.8K

-8.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$0.98 ₫25.4K

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 ¥11.37

$1.49 ₫38.5K

14.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 ¥1.07

$0.28 ₫7,249

-42.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.10 ¥80.9

$11.62 ₫300.8K

4.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$0.73 ₫18.9K

101.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.64 ₫16.7K

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 ¥49.07

$3.17 ₫82.0K

131.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.78

$0.95 ₫24.6K

37.89%

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

$19.3K ¥128.8K

$30.7K ₫795.6M

-37.32%

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

$17.3K ¥115.4K

$30.6K ₫791.6M

-43.55%

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

$44.42 ¥297

$102 ₫2.6M

-56.58%

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

$8.81 ¥58.9

$5.65 ₫146.1K

55.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.23 ¥68.3

$10.52 ₫272.2K

-2.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.22 ¥322

$25.86 ₫669.2K

86.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.59 ¥70.8

$11.82 ₫305.9K

-10.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.22 ¥68.3

$3.39 ₫87.8K

201.47%

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

$488 ¥3,264

$438 ₫11.3M

11.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.1K ¥161.3K

$23.3K ₫603.1M

3.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.84 ¥260

$51.5 ₫1.3M

-24.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 ¥190

$34.56 ₫894.3K

-17.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 ¥703

$91.3 ₫2.4M

15.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.5 ¥565

$94.9 ₫2.5M

-10.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 ¥2,283

$577 ₫14.9M

-40.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 ¥1,798

$292 ₫7.6M

-7.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ¥5,511

$1,293 ₫33.5M

-36.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$547 ¥3,655

$717 ₫18.6M

-23.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,597 ¥57.5K

$4,714 ₫122.0M

82.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,684 ¥31.3K

$1,882 ₫48.7M

148.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,138 ¥7,607

$486 ₫12.6M

134.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

8.64

-59.95%

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

Last update for Xiamen: October 6, 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.

Accommodation & Living

Xiamen

$269 32.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$292 34.3% 8.6% $23

Groceries & Markets

Xiamen

$216 25.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$206 24.1% 4.7% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Xiamen

$116 13.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 5.9% $6.8

Eating Out

Xiamen

$87 10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.5% 27% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Xiamen

$69 8.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 52.5% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Xiamen

$63 7.6%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 86.7% $55

Getting Around

Xiamen

$16 1.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 2% 6.8% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $342 in Xiamen and $577 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Xiamen pays 134% 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 Xiamen vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $216 vs $206 per month, with Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Xiamen

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

17:54 5:54 PM

16:54 4:54 PM

1 h behind Xiamen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,531,000

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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 25,879 VND (100,000 VND = 3.86 USD). 1 EUR = 28,999 VND (100,000 VND = 3.45 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Xiamen Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Xiamen
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

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

Xiamen wins on cost – living expenses run 2% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Xiamen the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 134% higher in Xiamen, 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: $342 in Xiamen 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 $842 per month in Xiamen versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Xiamen runs roughly 4% 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 $842 in Xiamen versus $855 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $1,500 budget is realistic in Xiamen but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Xiamen the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Xiamen delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $842 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Xiamen hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Xiamen 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 Xiamen gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.