Last update: Oct 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Zhengzhou: $683 a month against $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Zhengzhou
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Zhengzhou 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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Zhengzhou

🇨🇳 China

$683

/mo nomad

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

$859

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $683 in Zhengzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zhengzhou $683
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $859

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,088 in Zhengzhou versus $1,395 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zhengzhou $1,088
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,395

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,492 in Zhengzhou versus $1,931 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Zhengzhou $1,492
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) $1,931

Living in Zhengzhou costs roughly 20% 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: Zhengzhou 49% lower, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.17 ¥14.52

$1.91 ₫49.6K

13.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.72 ¥112

$22.84 ₫591.2K

-26.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.57 ¥30.49

$4.54 ₫117.6K

0.66%

Cappuccino

$2.41 ¥16.11

$1.85 ₫48.0K

30.27%

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

$0.57 ¥3.79

$0.56 ₫14.6K

1.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.87

$0.32 ₫8,185

-12.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.88 ¥5.89

$1.06 ₫27.5K

-16.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥11.06

$1.72 ₫44.5K

-3.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ¥11.59

$1.66 ₫42.9K

4.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 ¥11.41

$1.11 ₫28.7K

54.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 ¥5.92

$1.00 ₫25.9K

-11.00%

Eggs

$0.98 ¥6.57

$1.67 ₫43.1K

-41.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.26 ¥55.1

$12.08 ₫312.8K

-31.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ¥21.12

$3.68 ₫95.2K

-14.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.52 ¥70.2

$10.24 ₫265.1K

2.73%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 ¥9.95

$2.96 ₫76.5K

-49.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.92

$1.24 ₫32.2K

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 ¥7.14

$1.56 ₫40.3K

-31.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.79

$1.30 ₫33.6K

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$1.23 ₫31.9K

-45.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 ¥4.90

$1.15 ₫29.8K

-36.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.49

$0.74 ₫19.1K

-9.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.76

$0.56 ₫14.4K

26.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 ¥22.11

$1.24 ₫32.1K

166.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.74 ¥98.4

$12.60 ₫326.1K

16.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 ¥6.31

$0.96 ₫24.9K

-2.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ¥14.00

$1.53 ₫39.6K

37.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ¥0.89

$0.26 ₫6,694

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.89 ¥99.4

$11.51 ₫297.9K

29.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.46 ¥9.74

$0.75 ₫19.5K

94.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.67 ₫17.4K

-53.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.54 ¥23.63

$3.03 ₫78.5K

16.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ¥8.50

$0.96 ₫24.8K

32.29%

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

$19.2K ¥128.4K

$31.1K ₫804.3M

-38.09%

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

$17.4K ¥116.4K

$30.4K ₫785.9M

-42.56%

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

$70.2 ¥469

$102 ₫2.6M

-31.18%

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

$7.19 ¥48.01

$5.89 ₫152.5K

22.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.50 ¥70.1

$10.49 ₫271.6K

0.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.79 ¥272

$25.54 ₫661.2K

59.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.58 ¥90.7

$11.92 ₫308.5K

13.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ¥40.11

$3.53 ₫91.3K

70.25%

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

$391 ¥2,610

$436 ₫11.3M

-10.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ¥201.7K

$23.3K ₫602.8M

29.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.52 ¥291

$52.8 ₫1.4M

-17.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 ¥223

$34.15 ₫884.1K

-2.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.6 ¥491

$90.3 ₫2.3M

-18.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ¥468

$95.0 ₫2.5M

-26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$215 ¥1,434

$589 ₫15.3M

-63.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 ¥1,083

$298 ₫7.7M

-45.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 ¥3,834

$1,292 ₫33.5M

-55.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ¥2,469

$711 ₫18.4M

-47.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,825 ¥18.9K

$4,676 ₫121.1M

-39.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,515 ¥10.1K

$1,904 ₫49.3M

-20.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$918 ¥6,128

$490 ₫12.7M

87.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

8.64

-61.92%

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

Last update for Zhengzhou: 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.

Groceries & Markets

Zhengzhou

$191 28%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$207 24.1% 8.5% $16

Accommodation & Living

Zhengzhou

$162 23.8%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$298 34.7% 83.6% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Zhengzhou

$99 14.5%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$122 14.3% 23.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zhengzhou

$88 12.9%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$118 13.8% 34.7% $30

Eating Out

Zhengzhou

$71 10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$63 7.4% 10.8% $7.7

Sport & Entertainment

Zhengzhou

$53 7.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$33 3.8% 38.3% $20

Getting Around

Zhengzhou

$18 2.7%

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

$17 1.9% 9.8% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $215 in Zhengzhou and $589 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Zhengzhou pays 87% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $17.00 in Zhengzhou vs $23.00 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $191 vs $207 per month, with Zhengzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Zhengzhou

🇻🇳 Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🕒 Local time

01:01 1:01 AM

00:01 12:01 AM

1 h behind Zhengzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,600,574

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 = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 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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Zhengzhou Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Zhengzhou
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

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

Zhengzhou wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Zhengzhou the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 87% higher in Zhengzhou, 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: $215 in Zhengzhou 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 $683 per month in Zhengzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – a 26% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Zhengzhou runs roughly 29% 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 $683 in Zhengzhou versus $859 in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), a $2,000 budget is realistic in Zhengzhou but tight or insufficient in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The gap between the two cities makes Zhengzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Zhengzhou delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $683 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Zhengzhou hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Zhengzhou 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 Zhengzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.