Cost of Living; Australian Wages Vs Vietnam Wage (Advertising)

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Hey thanks for the reply.

In Australia I earn around $80,000USD which allows a pretty good lifestyle here in Melbourne, but the job I've been offered in Vietnam is actually half that ($40,000) and I've been told that this is that pretty much equivalent when you take into account the cost of living. I just want to get your guys opinion on things.

Hi there, Vietnamese earn around $1600 per year (GDP per capita). $40,000 per annum will give you a top-end life in Vietnam.

In my opinion (but please be advised that I've been living in Australia for around 6 years already), $500-$1000 per months in District 7 will give you a top-end standard apartment or even house like one in Melbourne CBD.

The eat out is around $AUD4/ bowl of Pho. In Australia it would be $10-$13.

Movie is around $AUD7/ ticket.

You may like to have a scooter, which is around $1500-$2000 for a really good one.

When are you going to HCM? I will be there around 20th of Dec. I am flying to Mel this Friday by the way. Do you have any suggestion for place to go in Mel?

Thanks that's helpful. I wont be in Melbourne when you are here but if it is Sunny I would suggest getting down to St Kilda. There is a number of bars which are pretty cool to hand out in on a nice day. Otherwise Melbourne is a city you can just walk around and enjoy - check out the differences between the different neighborhoods like Brunswick and Collingwood. Let me know if you are looking for something specific and I'll give you some more info. 

Cheers

tazziejosh wrote:

Hey thanks for the reply.

In Australia I earn around $80,000USD which allows a pretty good lifestyle here in Melbourne, but the job I've been offered in Vietnam is actually half that ($40,000) and I've been told that this is that pretty much equivalent when you take into account the cost of living. I just want to get your guys opinion on things.

Why do want to move and get less?
Some day you will return to Australia. What about your fixed payments mortgage etc?
You can broader your horizon with an overseas posting. However, you have to weigh that against your financial benefits/loss.

Many expats move overseas and forget why they are working in the first place.
Also check on the taxation.
Good Luck

Tazziejosh,

Getting an oversea post is exciting, especially when it is to a place that you haven't been to much...  But, like hELLnoi had suggested, you should really consider you options.  Don't compare apples to oranges.

$80,000 will never equals $40,000; it doesn't really matter how you count it.  Saigon is never going to be Melbourne, no matter how you look at it.  If your employer or your personal desire plays the lower-costs-of-living game, throw family-seperations at him.  If he wants to talk travels-and-learning-new-cultures...  Well, for $40,000 a year, you can travel the world over and, after a few years, you can even teach cultures at the nearby university...

Amid these financial turmoils, companies have resorted to pretty creative ways at cutting costs...  Don't fall victim, Tazziejosh.

Best wishes,
Howie

Short answer: it depends on you, but $40 000 is more than enough to live on. Such a figure would be inconceivable to most Vietnamese, even professionals.

I don't think money is the object - the bigger issue is whether you want to live immersed in another culture for a while. You must be the right type to benefit. You seem thoughtful, which is a start. Of course, there are the archetypal 'expats' who have little to do with the country. The Vietnamese seem a bother to them and money, tax benefits, having servants etc seems the draw.

Things can be really cheap (real Vietnamese life outside foreigner enclaves) or expensive (imported luxuries) here! There is a lot of scope for things to be cheap, if you are so inclined, but can scale up depending on taste and looseness of the pocket. Actually, many things are in dollar terms cheaper than the equivalent in Australia, such as some posh-ish restaurants. I don't know by how much.

I am here on a pittance in Australian terms ($20 000 pa, but tax free with medical insurance), but save money (no regular airfares home!). If I was out drinking wildly overpriced beers (they can get to about 6x what they cost locally) or taking taxis everywhere or buying much stuff then I wouldn't save money. This rule applies anywhere though.

My rent is $450 pm for a very nice 1 br flat (c. 3kms from downtown, but in an unfashionable District outside the enclaves). That is cheap in Aus terms and probably HCMC expat terms for what it is, but my Viet friends and colleagues are staggered. It's much more than they earn! You will always pay more in rent than a local.

Pho can be had MUCH cheaper than $4. I pay $1 (20 000 VND) for a rice lunch and 30c (7000D) for a coffee afterwards where I work near the airport. Actually, 7000D is a bit exxie, as coffee in the street I live in is 5000D! This is much less than most expats, so I am atypical, but I don't deny myself an expensive espresso sometimes in a fancy cafe at about $2 per cup.

I don't deny the odd luxury like some Aussie wine (maybe 50% more than home), but as most of my socialising is with Vietnamese people (weird for an expat, but that's me!), it is usually cheap, like banh xeo in a market then coffee sitting on cardboard on the street. This is the real experience for me, and that real experience is cheap.

I do go out with Westerners and it is interesting that HCMC is becoming a cosmopolitan city, but somehow drinking sangria in an faux Spanish bar isn't that special because you can do it in Australia or anywhere! It is here if you want it.

If you made just $2,000 a month, you live very well here. $40K a year is on the high end.

I lived in California and I have more fun living, partying, and working here.

Vietnam is pretty good for holiday but not to live or working, because companies like to make good offer, so suck (

If I earn $50k - $100K I will not moved....stay where I am )

We living in a luck country "Australia" no places like Home!!!!
Good luck!!!


Cheers
gt8989

To compare apples and apples as far as income is concerned you have to see HOW LONG (working hours) it takes to acquire a service/product.

One thing you should do is to get your employer to PAY FOR HEALTH INSURANCE, as well as the FREIGHT FOR ESSENTIAL PERSONAL ITEMS and a FLIGHT HOME EVERY YEAR. And a supply of Vegemite. And a housing allowance.

If Oz tax regimes are similar to other developed nations, they can claim tax reductions on the expenses so they are practically a nothing.

You won't be able to dive a car; you will have to buy a motorcycle so put together a written response.

There are web sites showing the Cost of Living in VietNam and the Comparative Costs between TP HCM and other cities.

< http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co … ry=Vietnam >, < http://ourmaninhanoi.com/2012/09/26/exp … n-vietnam/ >, < http://www.vietnam720.info/blogs/2012/7 … etnam.html >, < http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On- … ng-vietnam >, < http://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Asia … ency-value >, etc.

The essential thing to impress upon your boss is that it is a two-way street they save and some of your expenses rise and you loose amenities.