Cost of living comparison

Vietnam

compared to

China

Changchun vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost of Living Summary

Changchun is 9.2% cheaper than Ho Chi Minh City.

Restaurants: pay 24.5% more in Changchun
Groceries: pay 19.2% more in Changchun
Transportation: pay 10.4% less in Changchun
Housing: pay 39.4% less in Changchun
Childcare: pay 7.0% more in Changchun
Entertainment and Sports: pay 58.0% more in Changchun
Clothing: pay 2.7% less in Changchun

The cost of entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and childcare in Changchun are more expensive than in Ho Chi Minh City. Expenses including housing, transportation, and clothing are lower in Changchun.

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Changchun vs. Ho Chi Minh City Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Changchun instead of Ho Chi Minh City, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 24.5% more for restaurants

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$1.92 ₫49,832	$2.98 CN¥19.96	+55.0%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$4.62 ₫120K	$5.22 CN¥34.93	+13.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.54 ₫13,905	$0.48 CN¥3.24	-9.7%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.33 ₫8,590	$0.30 CN¥2.00	-10.1%
Average			+24.5%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of restaurants

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pay 19.2% more for groceries

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Bread 1 loaf	$1.08 ₫27,843	$1.19 CN¥7.98	+11.0%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$6.05 ₫157K	$17.15 CN¥114.76	+183.5%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.13 ₫159K	$7.34 CN¥49.11	+19.8%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.62 ₫42,008	$1.79 CN¥11.98	+10.3%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.64 ₫42,570	$2.64 CN¥17.65	+60.5%
Apples (1 lb)	$1.36 ₫35,261	$0.79 CN¥5.28	-42.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,953	$0.68 CN¥4.53	+17.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.72 ₫18,715	$0.81 CN¥5.43	+12.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.58 ₫14,918	$0.88 CN¥5.88	+52.7%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 ₫14,104	$0.41 CN¥2.72	-25.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.53 ₫13,662	??
Average			+19.2%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of groceries

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pay 10.4% less for transportation

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$3.55 ₫91,950	$4.79 CN¥32.02	+34.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$11.55 ₫299K	??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$30,715.02 ₫795M	$19,374.76 CN¥130K	-36.9%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.80 ₫150K	$3.58 CN¥23.95	-38.3%
Average			-10.4%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of transportation

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pay 39.4% less for housing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$10.46 ₫271K	$14.92 CN¥99.79	+42.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$585.86 ₫15M	$216.27 CN¥1,447.02	-63.1%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$297.81 ₫8M	$248.59 CN¥1,663.24	-16.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$79.24 ₫2M	$57.56 CN¥385.14	-27.4%
Average			-39.4%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of housing

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pay 7.0% more for childcare

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$438.36 ₫11M	$546.89 CN¥3,659.12	+24.8%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$23,561.82 ₫610M	$21,626.94 CN¥145K	-8.2%
Average			+7.0%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of childcare

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pay 58.0% more for entertainment and sports

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.03 ₫26,762	$1.19 CN¥7.98	+15.4%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$1.81 ₫46,978	$2.44 CN¥16.30	+34.3%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.23 ₫31,892	$3.73 CN¥24.95	+202.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$25.91 ₫671K	$37.70 CN¥252.26	+45.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.46 ₫89,697	$6.71 CN¥44.91	+93.8%
Average			+58.0%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 2.7% less for clothing

	Ho Chi Minh City	Changchun
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$51.59 ₫1M	$74.58 CN¥498.97	+44.6%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$34.61 ₫896K	$44.75 CN¥299.38	+29.3%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$91.59 ₫2M	$59.66 CN¥399.18	-34.9%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$94.62 ₫2M	$69.60 CN¥465.71	-26.4%
Average			-2.7%

Ho Chi Minh City vs. Changchun - Cost of clothing

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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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