Well, now that I’ve been an expat out here for a few months, I have data! Now I can provide a realistic budget of Saigonese living. Being a westerner affords us many advantages of living in Saigon over many of the locals. Mainly the fact that the base English teaching salary will usually net you $15 – $22 an hour. That’s quite a stark contrast to the locals who make a rough average of 6 million ₫ ($265) a month.
Well these English teaching salaries aren’t all glory and goodness. Hours are scattered between different schools, health insurance isn’t included, and hours can be very odd. Most teachers can only expect to get 20 – 25 hours a week. If you can get a position at a fancy international school or find a different career pathway altogether, then you’ll more than make ends meet.
For $900 a month, you can live extremely comfortably out in Saigon. With that same monthly allowance, I couldn’t even pay my rent back at home. And that was just my rent. That did not include turning on the lights, using internet or having running water. You know, basic human stuff.
This budget of $900 a month is one I’ve personally stuck to throughout my months here and is fairly liberal with your spending. Of course, each budget will vary from person to person based upon living habits. In this budget analysis, I’m going to give the average price on some common monthly expenses to make an estimation of how much you’ll end up spending.
| Category | Expected Cost per Month |
| Alcohol | $55.00 |
| Entertainment | $44.00 |
| Food | $250.00 |
| Living | $180.00 |
| Lodging | $295.00 |
| Travel | $67.00 |
| Grand Total | $891.00 |
Table 1. Monthly cost of living in Vietnam
Alcohol
For your soporific delights, let’s go over the general cost of drinking based upon your imbibing habits. There’s a lot of good news for the wallet when you’re drinking the devil’s water.
This ‘bia hoi’ in District 2 is bottled. An uncommon sight but is actually way better than the rest of its ilk
First off, beer:
Average cost for a can of beer at the grocery store: 12k – 20k ₫ ($0.53 – $0.88). The lower end beers (like 333) will cost 12k ($0.53) and the higher end beers (which is ironically Heineken) will cost up to 20k ($0.88).
Local Vietnamese watering hole: 20k – 30k ₫ ($0.88 – $1.32). There’s quite a few of these in every district. Just look for the plastic chairs, attractive hostesses and the wildly drunk patrons.
Fancier bars: 30k – 50k ₫ ($1.32 – $2.20). The prices can go as high as 80k – 100k ₫ ($3.52 – $4.39) at a club.
Microbreweries: 100k – 150k ₫ ($4.39 – $6.59). Yes microbrews are making it to Vietnam. So if you’re ever tired of watery lagers, you can stop by the growing microbrew industry for some quality beers. Unfortunately, the prices can be as expensive as 200k ₫ ($8.79) which rivals large cities back at home.
This microbrewery looks like ones back at home
Spirits:
Cheap Vietnamese spirits: 70k – 100k ₫ ($3.08 – $4.39). Tastes like rubbing alcohol with all of the potency. Gets the job done but your taste buds will be the first to lead the revolution against your poor decision making.
Standard international liquors: 340k ₫ ($15). Prices for imported liquor doesn’t vary too much from home. If its much cheaper and an international brand, it’s probably fake.
A shot of standard liquor at a bar: 50k – 150k ₫ ($2.20 – $6.59). Varies depending on the quality of drink and the quality of the bar. Prices can easily cost as much as 200k ₫ ($8.79) a drink.
TOTAL: 1.25 million ₫ ($55) a month unless you really like upscale places, have the alcohol tolerance of a virile rhinoceros or are a semi-alcoholic English teacher.
Entertainment
Well of course what one does for weekly entertainment is hugely different from person to person. Here are some common (mostly nonalcoholic) expenses that you might incur in an average month.
Karaoke: 150k ₫ ($6.59). Two hours of karaoke singing plus a couple of beers. Pretty good deal I might add.
Random events (flea markets, food festivals): 100k ₫ ($4.39). This will easily cover a few entry tickets to some events plus some trinkets.
Gaming Cafe: 7k ₫ /hr ($0.31). If you’re a fellow gamer who still needs to scratch that itch.
Standard Movie Ticket: 50k ₫ ($2.20). Everyone likes watching movies. Most movies are in English with Vietnamese subtitles.
4DX Fancy as hell movie ticket: 180k – 270k ₫ ($7.91 – $11.87). That’s right. For roughly $10, you can watch a movie that has wind effects, huge rocking chairs, fog machines and is in 3D!
TOTAL: 1 million ₫ ($44) a month to do shit.
Western styled flea market! 20k ₫ ($0.88) entrance fee
Food
This can vary so much based on your preferences. Some people get tired of Vietnamese foods fairly quickly and end up cooking more or go to western restaurants fairly often. Some expats get fairly fond of fish sauce and end up eating local food regularly. Local food is generally much cheaper than foreign food. Here are some pretty standard costs:
Duck noodles in Saigon’s Chinatown! Delicious but one of the more expensive meals at 100k ₫ ($4.39).
Cheap coffee: 15k ₫ ($0.66). Available from most low end vendors. They have the little plastic chairs facing out on the street or sell coffee to go. Best part is, most places sell pretty fantastic coffee.
Fancy in store coffee: 50k – 70k ₫ ($2.20 – $3.08). Many of the fancy coffee shops with a wonderful atmosphere where you can sit down and work for hours on end.
Cheap food: 20k – 30k ₫ ($0.88 – $1.32). Available at any street vendors or lower end restaurant to get a decent bowl of noodles or rice.
Decent Vietnamese restaurant: 50k ₫ a dish + 20k ₫ a drink = 70k ($3.08). Standard price for a decent restaurant. Provides generally better food and a better ambiance.
Western food: 120k ₫ + 30k ₫ a drink: 150k ($6.59). Prices here can range from slightly cheaper or a lot more expensive. This is probably the average I spend when I go out for a burger or some buffalo wings.
Fancy food: 200k ₫ ($8.77). Sometimes you want to go to a fancy restaurant or make an evening out of eating and drinking. It’ll be extremely rare that you spend more than 400k ₫ ($17.54) on a prolonged evening meal.
Smoothies: 25k ₫ ($1.10). Delicious fruit filled smoothies around every corner! And that’s the price for an avocado smoothie too!
Smoothies in a café 40k – 50k ₫ ($1.76 – $2.20). Paying for the ambiance once again.
5 gallons of drinking water: 40k ($1.76). Tap water here is not really potable so this is a mandatory expense. Nice part is that they deliver straight to your doorstep!
Groceries combined with eating out: 1.2 million ($52.74). This will also vary greatly per person. This is my monthly average combined with me eating out frequently. If you like to cook primarily western food, your groceries can be significantly more expensive due to the high cost of imported ingredients.
TOTAL: 5.70 million ($250) a month to eat whatever you like.
You know this restaurant is fancy because they have a table covering. But even their most expensive items don’t go too much beyond 50k ₫ ($2.20).
Living
Standard things you’ll have to pay for when you’re living just about anywhere.
Visa fees: 323k ₫ ($14). The total cost for a yearlong visa available to Americans is a $35 visa fee and $135 stamping fee. This assumes you’re spreading that cost out over the month.
Travel Insurance: 2.73 million ₫ ($120). Unless you have a sweet job where your employer provides healthcare, the easiest form of insurance out here is probably travel insurance. It won’t cover any monthly checkups, but will cover in a catastrophic incident.
Gym membership: 250k ₫ ($11). Saigon’s going through a Beverly Hills fitness craze where gym memberships can cost as high as 700k ($30.76) a month. So let’s stick to the cheap ones since they have everything you’ll ever need.
Cleaning services: 150k ₫ ($6.59). Of course this is completely optional, but hiring a maid for 50k ₫ ($2.20) for each clean is very worth it.
Haircut: 80k ₫ ($3.52). Men’s haircut will go for 40k ₫ ($1.76). Planning for two haircuts a month is pretty conservative.
Cellular data and minutes: 250k ($11). This will cover roughly 3 gigs of data and plenty of talk and text.
Pack of cigarettes: 10k – 20k ₫ ($0.44 – $0.88) a pack. Vietnam hasn’t quite gotten around to taxing cigarettes. Fun fact: due to the ridiculously high tobacco taxes in Australia, many Aussies that come here end up chain smoking simply because you can.
Miscellaneous items: 300k ($13.18). You’ll of course need shampoo, toothpaste, and some items for the house.
TOTAL: 4.083 million ₫ ($180) a month for basic living supplies, gym and insurance.
Lodging
Picking your accommodations has the potential to yield the most savings or incur you the greatest cost. The rule from a budget standpoint is simple. You can pick two of the following: good location, newer/nicer room or a low price.
A good location is in respect to District 1, the central commercial and fun hub of Saigon. The closer you are to here, the more expensive it’s generally going to be. Most good locations are within a 15 minute drive of downtown.
A nicer building is of course relative to your expectations. Some buildings are so old that they are very grimy, don’t have elevators and are probably lacking in any modern fire codes. Most buildings in Saigon are older buildings usually designed to house families or groups of people. This makes western apartment style accommodations less common, increasing their rental value.
So if you get a good location in a shared house, a room will usually run between 5 – 6 million ₫ ($220 – $264). A nicer, newer studio apartment goes for 7 – 8 million ₫ ($308 – $352).
If you’re willing to live further away or sacrifice on the quality or size of the room, a studio for can easily go for 5 – 6.5 million ₫ ($220 – $286). For the average person, I would plan to pay 6 million ₫ ($264) a month for rent. If you don’t mind a slightly shabbier place, then you can easily budget 5 million ₫ ($220). Here‘s my older guide if you need help finding an apartment.
Now that’s just the price of the apartment so it’s good to check the cost of utilities prior to moving in. Average prices are as follows:
Water: 100k ₫ ($4.39). Costs are calculated per person not by the amount of usage. Water here is cheap surprisingly.
Electricity: 500k ₫ ($22) a month. Average cost is 3.5k ₫ per kw of electricity. Electricity here is expensive due to the overburdened power grids (power outages aren’t uncommon) and you’ll most likely be using the air conditioning a lot.
Motorbike parking: 100k ₫ ($4.39). Covers the cost of your parking attendant.
You may also have a 100k ₫ ($4.39) elevator fee or a 100k ₫ ($4.39) internet fee but these are most commonly included with the rent.
TOTAL: 6 million ₫ for rent + 700k ₫ for miscellaneous fees and utilities = 6.7 million ₫ ($295) a month to not be homeless.
Travel
All the wonderful travel costs do add up.
Bike rental: 1 million ₫ ($44). You can absolutely get around by Grabbing (Uber has pulled out of SE Asia), but I’m going to recommend renting a motorbike so you have the freedom of exploration and really feel like a local. Another option is to purchase a used beater bike for roughly 6 million ₫ ($264) if you’re willing to make the investment. If you decide to rent, the added benefit is that if you have any repairs, many rental companies will fix whatever issue for free. This of course assumes that the bike works enough for you to get back to the rental company…
And no, they won’t reimburse you for any repairs you made on the road. I learned this the hard way.
Gas: 150k ₫ ($6.59). Each tank costs 50k ₫ ($2.20) a fill-up and should last a bit over a week depending on your driving distance.
Miscellaneous parking fees: 50k ₫ ($2.20). Restaurants will sometimes have small parking fees of 5k ($0.22). If you go to District 1, fancier establishments will go as high as 10k ₫ ($0.44).
Long Distance Bus Trips: 200k ₫ ($8.79). 7-8 hour bus trips to the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang or Dalat will cost 200k ₫ ($8.79) for one way ticket. This budget assumes you’re going to take vacation every other month to explore the country.
Late Night Taxi Rides: 120k ₫ ($5.27). Let’s be honest, you’re gonna go out drinking at some point and while many people here drink and drive, let’s never do that. A one way Grab costs roughly 20k ₫ ($0.88) to most areas of the city and there are plenty of coupons to make this even cheaper.
TOTAL: 1 million ₫ bike rental + 150k ₫ parking + 50k ₫ parking fees + 200k ₫ bus trips + 120k ₫ grab rides to be safe = 1.52 million ₫ ($67) to not walk.
Don’t expect a nice bike like this for that low pricing
GRAND TOTAL: ~ $900
All of this adds up to a grand total of $891 or $30 a day! That budget allows for a very comfortable living in Saigon. I hope this helps your planning for those planning on staying in Vietnam long term!
Helpful Tips
- Those little hand towels on the table cost money, usually 2000 – 3000 VND ($0.09 – $0.13)
- If you get an extra tray of meat placed on the table, those cost extra too. The soup provided is usually complimentary though. When in doubt, just ask.
- Every decent shop should have a guard to watch the parked motorbikes. Depending on the location, this service may be free or run as high as 10,000 VND ($0.44) at fancy bars.
- When paying, it’s polite to hand the money grasped in one hand and the other hand on your forearm
- When receiving an item (like your change), grasp the item with both hands.
- It’s considered odd for men to sit with their legs crossed.
Until next time.