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When considering moving to Vietnam for a few months or weeks, one of the first things you’ll want to know more about is the cost of living. Since each city in Vietnam is slightly different, we’re taking a closer look at what it costs to live in Ho Chi Minh City in this article.

General expenses you face when living in Vietnam

Before we get into the details though, let’s look at some general costs you will likely incur no matter what your budget is. The biggest and most obvious are rent and apartment utilities. Transportation is another important one. The city is huge so without taxis, Grab bikes (motorbike taxis) or your own bike, you won’t get very far. Food is another critical one. What’s different in Vietnam though is that eating out can cost a fraction of the price it would in Europe or North America.

One more thing which must go in your expense calculations is visas and flights traveling to and from Vietnam. Depending on how far away you live and how often you want to go visit, flights back and forth from home could take a chunk out of your budget. Visas are also a cost factor many first-timers overlook. After the initial application in your home country, you will need to pay regularly to extend your visa and might have to take trips out of the country to extend it which is another cost-factor.

Depending on where in the city you’ll live and what kind of lifestyle you wish to lead will obviously impact these costs (apart from visa fees) too. To give you a more in-depth idea of the lifestyle you can expect in Vietnam, we’ve broken our cost of living analysis down into three categories: low budget, mid-range budget, and luxury living. Each will include the main costs outlined above and a few extras we think match the category.

General Costs When Living in Vietnam

Visa 

If your employer is handling your visa for you, skip right ahead to the next section and be happy you don’t need to deal with this… If not, here we sum up how much you should expect to pay for your Vietnam visa.

Getting your visa situation figured out is crucial to making your stay in Vietnam a successful one. Usually, you can start by getting a three-month tourist visa from the Vietnamese embassy in your current country of residence. Application fees for this vary depending on where you are applying but expect anything from $30-50.

Once you are in Vietnam and decide to stay longer, start looking for agencies offering visa extension services. With their help, you can get a six- or twelve-month visa fairly easily. These agencies will prepare all the necessary paperwork for you and help you submit it to the foreign affairs office. Costs for this service will be around $100 for a six-month visa and $150 for a one-year visa. Admin fees and ‘coffee money’ for the authorities will depend on the agency you chose and can go anywhere from $250-600.

A note of caution: be careful when you research these agencies. Unfortunately, there are many scams or those which charge exorbitant sums from unsuspecting customers. Look around expat forums and Facebook groups to find out which ones are legit and charge fees at the lower end of the range we mentioned. Ask your other expat friends how they handled the situation and how much they paid. Rules regarding how to get your visa are very flexible in Vietnam, so get ready to hear countless different stories of how people got their legal status in the country sorted.

Utilities

This largely depends on the place you are renting. Budget accommodation might come without an air conditioner and only offer a fan which uses less electricity. Then you would be looking at about $10-15 per month depending on your consumption. With an A/C which runs for a few hours a day, you could easily get up to $40 or more per month (again depending on consumption). Water is quite cheap and will not cost you more than $2-3 per month unless you take a full bath every night or regularly fill up a swimming pool.

Apartment management fee

When signing your rent contract always ask whether the management fee is included in the rent. This fee is calculated depending on your apartment’s square footage and mainly applies to serviced apartments and condos. The standard management fee for a 65 square meter (2-bedroom) apartment, for example, is around $50 per month but it could be higher if your building offers fancy amenities and services (i.e. cleaning, laundry, etc.).

Even if you’re not looking to rent in a place like that, it’s wise to make sure with your landlord that there are no surprise costs waiting for you at the end of the month.

Internet and phone plans 

Get ready to be amazed… Vietnam has some of the cheapest phone and internet plans you will find in the world. Opt for one of the top providers such as Vinaphone, Viettel or Mobifone and you’ll find monthly plans including 3-5 GB of highspeed mobile data and unlimited calls and texts for as little as $10-15 per month. Note that for a postpaid monthly plan you will need a local bank account.

If you haven’t had time to set one up yet, grab a prepaid card until you do. For about $5 you can get 3-5 GB of highspeed mobile data packages which are valid for a month. Unused data expires after 30 days so maybe try a smaller package to avoid wasting money on data you don’t need. Chances are you can get by with a light data plan since even the smallest cafes and restaurants offer Wi-Fi.

Calls and texts will cost you extra but at only a few cents apiece/a minute, you can easily get by with less than $5 a month – especially since many people in Vietnam use Line, WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger to call and text.

Highspeed internet at home is similarly cheap. The main provider, FTP offers a package complete with unlimited data and access to 60 local and international TV channels for only about $6 a month.