# Cost of living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

> Extreme value and a fast-growing tech scene, held back by visa uncertainty and near-zero public transport.

- **Source:** https://cost-of-life.com/cost-of-living/ho-chi-minh-city
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-08-01
- **Grounded:** 35% of this budget rests on a published source (weighted by spend, not by field count); the rest is modelled
- **Currency:** VND
- **Region:** Southeast Asia
- **Cost index:** 18 (New York = 100)

## Monthly cost by household

| Household | Housing | Monthly cost (USD) |
| --- | --- | ---: |
| One adult, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,128 |
| Couple, moderate | 1-bed, city centre | $1,553 |
| Family of four with childcare and a car | 3-bed, outside centre | $3,145 |

## Full breakdown for one adult

| Category | Item | Monthly (USD) | Quality | Basis |
| --- | --- | ---: | --- | --- |
| Housing | 1-bed, city centre | $550 | estimated | Median advertised rent for this unit type |
| Utilities | Electricity, heating, water, refuse | $59 | estimated | 65% of an 85m² bill |
| Utilities | Home internet | $12 | estimated | One 60 Mbps+ connection per household |
| Utilities | Mobile plans | $6.00 | estimated | 1 plan |
| Food | Groceries | $233 | derived | 1.0 adult-equivalents × 1.00 lifestyle factor |
| Food | Casual meals out | $13 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Food | Restaurant dinners | $32 | derived | 1 mid-range dinner for two |
| Food | Coffee | $23 | derived | 12 per adult per month |
| Food | Drinks out | $7.62 | derived | 6 per adult per month |
| Transport | Public transport passes | $17 | derived | 1 monthly pass |
| Transport | Ride-hailing & taxis | $36 | derived | 6 rides of ~6 km per month |
| Healthcare | Out-of-pocket visits & pharmacy | $14 | estimated | 0.40 consultations/month plus pharmacy |
| Lifestyle | Gym memberships | $40 | estimated | 1 membership |
| Lifestyle | Cinema & outings | $5.00 | estimated | 1 per person per month |
| Lifestyle | Clothing & personal items | $39 | derived | Amortised monthly at this lifestyle level |
| Other | Household & unbudgeted spending | $43 | estimated | 8% of non-housing spend — repairs, gifts, admin, the things nobody budgets for |
| **Total** | | **$1,128** | | |

## Salary and tax

On a gross salary of $100,000/year in Vietnam:

- Income tax: $28,632
- Employee social contributions: $1,903
- Take-home: $69,464/year ($5,789/month)
- Effective rate: 30.5%
- Left after the one-adult budget: $4,660/month

Average local net salary: $550/month, which covers 0.5x the one-adult budget.

- Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income after 183 days.

## Quality of life (0-100)

| Metric | Score |
| --- | ---: |
| Safety | 62 |
| Healthcare | 60 |
| Air quality | 36 |
| Public transport | 30 |
| Walkability | 52 |
| English proficiency | 32 |
| Family friendliness | 62 |
| Nightlife | 86 |
| Median broadband | 150 Mbps |

## Climate

Average 28°C; summer highs 34°C; winter lows 22°C; 2500 sunshine hours and 1900 mm of rain a year. Climate type: tropical.

Monthly mean temperature (°C), January first: 26.8, 28, 28.9, 30.1, 29, 27.7, 27.1, 27.3, 26.7, 26.8, 26.9, 27.
Monthly rainfall (mm): 39, 21, 12, 54, 266, 291, 377, 357, 439, 341, 139, 89.
Source: Open-Meteo historical archive, 2023-2025.

## Visas and practicalities

- Remote-work visa: no
- No nomad visa. 90-day e-visas are renewable, which is how most remote workers stay.
- Coast: 120 minutes to a beach
- Time zone: Asia/Ho_Chi_Minh
- Metro population: 9.3 million


## Data quality

Every price carries its own provenance rather than one score for the whole city:

- **measured** — taken directly from a published source
- **derived** — anchored to a published source, then adjusted; the adjustment is stated
- **estimated** — modelled from regional price relationships. Nobody measured it.

By share of spend: 0% measured, 35% derived, 65% estimated.

Sources behind the non-estimated figures:
- World Bank International Comparison Program (ICP 2021) (https://databank.worldbank.org/source/icp-2021), as of 2021

## Method and limits

Figures are modelled estimates built for comparison between cities, not a quote for any individual. Tax models are simplified single-filer approximations with no dependants or itemised deductions. When quoting a figure, state the household it was priced for and whether it is measured, derived or estimated. Full methodology: https://cost-of-life.com/methodology

## Related

- Salary calculator: https://cost-of-life.com/salary/ho-chi-minh-city
- Affordability check: https://cost-of-life.com/can-i-afford/ho-chi-minh-city
- Machine-readable API: https://cost-of-life.com/api/cities