Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zaozhuang: $667 a month against $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zaozhuang
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Zaozhuang Living Index
41

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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Zaozhuang

🇨🇳 China

$667

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$853

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $667 in Zaozhuang versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zaozhuang $667
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $853

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,022 in Zaozhuang versus $1,391 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zaozhuang $1,022
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,391

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,378 in Zaozhuang versus $1,930 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zaozhuang $1,378
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,930

Living in Zaozhuang costs roughly 22% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Zaozhuang 51% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.82 ¥12.14

$1.91 ₫49.3K

-4.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$11.81 ¥78.6

$22.93 ₫592.4K

-48.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.26 ¥15.04

$4.69 ₫121.2K

-51.81%

Cappuccino

$1.47 ¥9.80

$1.80 ₫46.5K

-18.33%

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

$0.39 ¥2.58

$0.55 ₫14.3K

-29.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.15 ¥0.97

$0.34 ₫8,812

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.91 ¥6.07

$1.03 ₫26.7K

-11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ¥11.81

$1.72 ₫44.4K

2.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 ¥9.63

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-13.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.44

$1.09 ₫28.2K

30.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 ¥8.15

$1.06 ₫27.3K

16.04%

Eggs

$1.06 ¥7.07

$1.60 ₫41.3K

-33.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 ¥78.2

$12.08 ₫312.1K

-2.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ¥21.90

$3.66 ₫94.5K

-10.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ¥74.3

$10.35 ₫267.3K

7.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.47 ¥9.76

$3.01 ₫77.7K

-51.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ¥6.83

$1.26 ₫32.6K

-18.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.07

$1.62 ₫41.9K

-16.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.24

$1.27 ₫32.7K

-14.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$1.18 ₫30.5K

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.65

$1.19 ₫30.7K

-41.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 ¥3.80

$0.78 ₫20.1K

-26.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 ¥4.09

$0.55 ₫14.3K

12.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.65 ¥24.27

$1.26 ₫32.5K

189.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.84 ¥65.5

$12.85 ₫331.9K

-23.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.72

$0.90 ₫23.1K

-21.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 ¥9.05

$1.46 ₫37.6K

-6.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.28 ¥1.83

$0.28 ₫7,260

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.73 ¥105

$11.42 ₫295.0K

37.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 ¥10.72

$0.70 ₫18.2K

130.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.25 ¥1.65

$0.63 ₫16.3K

-60.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.48 ¥29.81

$3.09 ₫79.8K

44.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 ¥8.67

$0.95 ₫24.6K

36.84%

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

$19.7K ¥131.0K

$30.5K ₫788.3M

-35.50%

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

$15.3K ¥101.7K

$29.7K ₫767.8M

-48.61%

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

$74.1 ¥493

$102 ₫2.6M

-27.52%

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

$6.84 ¥45.51

$5.65 ₫145.8K

21.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$5.08 ¥33.83

$10.43 ₫269.5K

-51.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.72 ¥291

$19.30 ₫498.7K

126.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.67 ¥104

$11.81 ₫305.1K

32.68%

Cinema Ticket

$5.33 ¥35.47

$3.83 ₫98.9K

39.16%

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

$215 ¥1,430

$484 ₫12.5M

-55.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.7K ¥130.9K

$23.3K ₫602.3M

-15.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 ¥224

$52.3 ₫1.4M

-35.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.01 ¥280

$34.35 ₫887.3K

22.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.4 ¥482

$92.3 ₫2.4M

-21.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.2 ¥474

$94.2 ₫2.4M

-24.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$321 ¥2,135

$647 ₫16.7M

-50.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 ¥1,146

$297 ₫7.7M

-42.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 ¥4,192

$1,291 ₫33.3M

-51.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$318 ¥2,113

$719 ₫18.6M

-55.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,866 ¥19.1K

$4,327 ₫111.8M

-33.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,665 ¥11.1K

$1,987 ₫51.3M

-16.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$490 ₫12.7M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.13

8.64

-63.77%

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

Last update for Zaozhuang: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon): October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zaozhuang

$186 27.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$208 24.4% 11.8% $22

Accommodation & Living

Zaozhuang

$172 25.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$297 34.9% 72.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Zaozhuang

$99 14.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$123 14.4% 24.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zaozhuang

$86 12.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.9% 37.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Zaozhuang

$54 8.2%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$27 3.2% 50.4% $27

Eating Out

Zaozhuang

$49 7.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 28.1% $14

Getting Around

Zaozhuang

$20 3%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$16 1.9% 16.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $321 in Zaozhuang and $647 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Zaozhuang vs $23 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $186 vs $208 per month, with Zaozhuang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zaozhuang

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

06:26 6:26 AM

05:26 5:26 AM

1 h behind Zaozhuang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,125,000

9,456,700

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Vietnamese Dong VND ₫

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

100,000 VND = 3.87 USD

100,000 VND = 3.48 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

Vietnamese Dong exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 25,832 VND (100,000 VND = 3.87 USD). 1 EUR = 28,757 VND (100,000 VND = 3.48 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zaozhuang Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,880 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Zaozhuang
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

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

Zaozhuang wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Zaozhuang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,000 in Zaozhuang and $1,279 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $321 in Zaozhuang versus $647 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 $667 per month in Zaozhuang versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – Zaozhuang is about 22% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) runs roughly 27% less than in Zaozhuang. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $667 in Zaozhuang versus $853 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $800 budget is realistic in Zaozhuang but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zaozhuang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.