[Ho Chi Minh City Hall]
Here at nomadicnotes.com I keep a cost of living tally for when I spend a month at a time in one location. I had heard from some online business friends that Ho Chi Minh City (AKA Saigon) is the new hotspot for online entrepreneurs, so naturally I had to go and have a look for myself. I was last here in 2005 on a one month whirlwind backpacking trip through Vietnam which only included 2 days in Ho CHi Minh City. This time around I got spend an entire month in Vietnam’s largest city which gave me a chance to explore more neighbourhoods and to get some work done while I am at it.
Here is my cost of living for Ho Chi Minh in September 2012, converted into USD.
| Rent | $264 |
| Food – eating out | $185 |
| Groceries | $61 |
| Coffee | $148 |
| Transport | $35 |
| Sundries | $31 |
|
Total |
$724 |
Accommodation
[I lived in that kermit green building]
Like any other place rent is a huge variable. As I was only here for one month I wanted to find a place as soon as possible to avoid spending half my time in a guest house. In the end I found a room on craigslist for $250 a month (plus one night in a guest house.) The room was ensuite with a shared kitchen and lounge and the rate included a maid service for room cleaning and washing clothes. I have seen similar rooms online for $200 and of course you could go even cheaper if you lived further out. From that baseline the prices go to about $400 a month for a basic self contained 1 bedroom apartment, up to Manhattan prices for brand new luxury apartments.
Food
[Bowl of pho (chicken soup)]
One of the joys of living in Vietnam is for the food. Street food is everywhere here and even though the prices are double in central Saigon compared to the rest of the country, a bowl of pho (soup) will set you back around $2. Outside of District 1 you can find pho for $1. Saigon is the most international city of Vietnam so there are loads of eating options from around the world as well.
[Having a day off the Vietnamese with a sushi lunch]
[BBQ Pork Ladies at the entrance of my alley]
Groceries
[Supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City]
I’m not big on cooking for myself, and there really is no need to in Vietnam, so my grocery/household items was low. I had breakfast at home and lunch and dinner out. There was a western standard supermarket near my place with a combination local and international brand household products.
Coffee
[Cafe Latte at L'usine]
As I discovered in Chiang Mai, I have a $5 a day coffee habit. There are worse habits to have and Ho Chi Minh City has one of the best cafe scenes I have seen anywhere, which was part of why I wanted to come here in the first place. Cafes double as an office for a few hours a day for me so HCMH is a great place to get work done.
Transport
[Transport in Saigon]
I lived in District 1 which, as the name would suggest, is very central so I walked everywhere most of the time and got motorbike taxis for longer trips. Public transport here consists of buses and motorbike taxis. The traffic is terrible and crossing the road can be quite an ordeal if you don’t know what you are doing. Having said that the traffic tends to move faster than in Bangkok because the traffic is mostly motorbikes. If you have the courage to take on the Saigon traffic you can rent a motorbike for as little as $60 a month.
Cost of living summary
I tallied this up after I had left and was surprised with how low the end amount was. Even with an accommodation bill of $400 and motorbike expenses of $90 (rental and petrol) the total amount would still be under $1000USD for the month. Working here was digital nomad friendly as well with wifi in just about every cafe I visited and very fast as well. I liked it so much that I will be returning soon for a 3 month stay.
A great post James. How many coffees a day for $5?
Thanks Jan. Coffee prices varied from $1 to $3 per cup. The cafe latte in the picture was $3.
What is your favourite coffee shop in Saigon?
Oooh that is a tough question Jan! There are quite a few I like, which are listed at:
http://www.nomadicnotes.com/travel-blog/ho-chi-minh-city-cafes/
Thanks James, I went over and visited that post. Bet you had fun researching all those!
Vietnam is such a hidden wonder for digital nomads for 2 reasons: food & the internet. Even some of the smaller cities are all fibre backed – I had big plans when I was there last year but made the rushed decision to jump to Hong Kong.
If you want to read what things are like from the Northern End, here’s a review I wrote about Hanoi
http://www.freelancebackpacker.com/digital-nomad-review-hanoi
Thanks Chris, that is good to know. I might be going to Hanoi for a quick visit so it will be interesting to see how it compares.
This is awesome! I love the idea of going somewhere for a month (or more) and renting an apartment to just BE there and experience the culture. It’s great to see how inexpensive Saigon can be. I didn’t get down there when I was in Vietnam last year, but I’d love to go back to Vietnam, so this is really helpful info. And that soup looks delicious!
Thanks Ali, yes slow travel is becoming my preferred method of travel these days.
Another great post, James! I love seeing how incredibly affordable it is to live in the countries you’ve highlighted recently. I can’t wait to get out to that part of the world and spend some time exploring.
Thanks Kim, would be great to see you in this part of the world!
These summary of expenses posts are some of my favorites. Really gives a good run down and idea of what someone can realistically expect to spend. I’ll be visiting Vietnam in 2013 and can’t wait!
I’m pretty sure I could live anywhere if there were BBQ pork ladies grilling at the end of my street!!
Very useful information James. I’m thinking about spending a month or two in Ho Chi Minh City in the future, to do some exploration, eat a lot, and drink lots of coffee!
This is very interesting, I just moved to Chiang Mai after reading about it on your blog and some others as well. Seems like Vietnam is a very good alternative, might try it next. How does it compare to Chiang Mai specifically?
Love how you spent nearly as much on coffee and eating out – crazy!
Haha, yes it’s true! I know some people that spend 2-3 times their food budget on alcohol, so I get off lightly
Hello, James, could you give me the address of the address of the Supermarket , i will move to ho chi minh city very soon. thanks
Hi Helen, the one near me was on Nguyen Trai. THere is also a good Coopmart at 168 Nguyen Đinh Chieu, District 1.
Hi James!
I am a Vietnamese girl aching for travelling as well. I am passionate about running a travel blog which just focuses on Vietnam. I have just written this post. I hope to get your comment! Thank you so much!
http://alittlenomad.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/some-little-quirks-foreign-tourists-may-encounter-in-vietnam/
Great post, James! My coffee habit is not quite as extensive as yours, so I think it’d be saving a bunch of money there
Very useful tips. Pretty sure we’re going to move to Ho Chi Minh next!
Hi Euvie, yes if you make coffee at home or have a local coffee you will save even more money!
Great post, and beautiful photos, James. Love it.
Thanks Jesse! We must meet up before I depart HCMC yet again.
Great breakdown of the costs involved. I’m looking forward to spending a lot if time there later on in the year.
Thanks for the post.
Sorry…. I meant to say James(not Matt) Apologies Sir.
Thanks Carlo, glad to help!
cool! thanks for this post, really helpful. looking forward to return to Vietnam and hopefully stay there for about a month. glad you enoyed HCMC.
Been there once in Saigon in 1994, was in Vietnam for a month, travelling fr South to Hanoi. Beautiful Country and it was much cheaper during that time. Might just drop in to Vietnam the next time I go back to Malaysia to visit my family. (By the way, at present am a Swedish citizen). Thanks for the info about the cost of living in Vietnam. Interesting to see great changes in Saigon after all these years. Might be interesting to check out some charity organisations over there. To see in what way I can help while working on line.
I really like HCMC and it’s definitely a place I’d like to spend a month. Thanks for giving the $400 USD / month as the base figure for a 1 bed apartment. I wonder how easy it is to find a non-shared central monthly rental that isn’t at expat prices.