Cost of Living in Ho Chi Minh City

The HCMC is the most developed city in the country even more superior to the official capital, Hanoi. As such, the cost of living in HCMC is also relatively higher than any other city in Vietnam. However, since the general cost of living in Vietnam is still low compared to other countries in Asia, it is still very much on the cheap side.

Ho Chi Minh City, the well-loved Southern capital of Vietnam, also known as Saigon holds a lot of lifestyle options for expats.

Housing

You have several choices for housing in the city, there are more traditional houses that are rented out as apartments, and there are also a lot of modern new condo apartments you can get in the city centre. You can choose to live by yourself or get a room to rent or house share with other expats in the city.

If you would like to get your own high-end apartment in the city centre, the month rent will range from $500-1500 per month. A room in a good house or apartment share in the city centre will range from $300-500 per month. Utilities and the internet will only cost you around $80 per month, and if you would like to get a cleaning service for your home, it will only cost around $2.50 per hour.

Food

Because of the vast number of very good street food available in the city, food costs will never be very expensive while you’re living in Ho Chi Minh City. If you would like to eat at a high-end restaurant, however, it can be expensive, but still never over the top. Food is one of the best things in HCMC, and you gotta take advantage of how much good food you can get for cheap in this city. You can have the best authentic Pho noodle soup for only $2, a fresh, scrumptious Banh Mi for only $1, and an aromatic Vietnamese Coffee for $0.50, all of which can be purchased and eaten off the streets.

If you’re not so keen on authentic Vietnamese street cuisine, no worries, you can still get lots of different cuisines for cheap in the city.

• Big Mac meal at McDonald’s - $3.40
• Western restaurant - $10-30
• Average weekly grocery - $20 total
• Average bottle of wine - $14
• Imported beers - $1.50
• Local beers - $0.65

Transport

Public transport has never been very efficient in HCMC, as most people prefer riding mopeds or motorbikes. If you do choose to use public transport, you’ll be better off with a monthly pass which will cost you around $5, or if you’d like to get a taxi, a kilometre under normal tariff would cost only $0.68. If you’d like to try the local means of transport, mopeds, the cost of petrol per litre is $0.80.

Entertainment

HCMC is a fun and vibrant city, and it’s really hard to be bored when you live here. Not only do they have a lot of options for entertainment, all of the fun things to do come very cheap.

• Cinema tickets - $5
• Dinner and night out in clubs - $20
• Night out in the theatre - $21 for 2 tickets

All in all, Ho Chi Minh City is one of the most affordable places to live in because you can still get a high standard of living for a relatively low price. It may not be as cheap as other cities in the country, but you can also get a lot more value for money in HCMC.